A Good Edd Is Hard To Find
by DuoXKouga
Summary: Summary: AU To BPS. Bro has a new dangerous game to play with Eddy and Edd. FULL SUMMARY AND WARNINGS INSIDE!
1. Hell Has No Fury Like A Bro Scorned

**A Good Edd Is Hard To Find**

**Summary:**

**The Ed's encounter with Bro takes a dark turn as the savage sibling concocts a dangerous game for Eddy and Double D. The race is on for Ed, Eddy and the kids of the cul-de-sac to save Edd from Eddy's brother. Friendships will be questioned. Sanity will be strained. Will the Eds be separated for good?**

**Triggers include Pedophilia, Child Grooming, Child Abuse, Sexual Assualt, Possible Dub-Con, Drunken Behavior, Alcohol Abuse, and Physical and Verbal Abuse. Other warnings include Violence and Language.**

**Pairings include BroEdd and EddyEdd. Subtle Hints at other pairings, but BroEdd and EddyEdd are the main two that will be focused on it.**

**This is being co-written by DuoXKouga and Battygirl.**

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_Authors' Notes:_

_DuoXKouga: Hey everyone. Just a little heads up, this story is going to be extremely dark and it may be very triggering to some people who read this. If it upset you, please, exit the screen. We cannot stress this enough that what we're writing is very dark. I will state this though for those of you who do decide to read this, we don't condone any of the actions Bro is doing in this story. In the end, this is just story and is not real. In real life, we wouldn't want any this to happen to any child, but these things do happen unfortunately. We don't mean to upset anyone, but it's our decision to share this fanfic with everyone and we're not changing it._

_Battygirl: If I may add to what my cowriter has already stated, I'd like to take this opportunity to remind you readers what 'triggering' means. It does not mean 'mildly offend' or 'bother'. A trigger is material (such as what we've listed in the warning list above) that may cause a post traumatic stress reaction. If you're just a little offended by what we've written, you're not being triggered. There's a very big difference. If any of the material listed above can genuinely trigger a post traumatic stress reaction in you, we highly recommend that you exit the page to avoid it. We are not looking to cause that reaction. However, if you just don't like what you're reading but don't have that reaction, we still kindly ask that you exit out of this page, but only because this story will never appeal to you. Get over it or get out._

_In addition to all of that, I'd like to take a moment to reinforce again what DuoXKouga stated in that we do not condone pedophilia or any of the other triggering material above except in fiction. And only when done right._

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Chapter 1: Hell Has No Fury Like A Bro Scorned

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Edd stands in stunned horror as he witnesses Eddy's Brother twisting his sibling's leg inhumanely. He had never seen such cruelty done by an adult to a child. His hands shake as he watches the scene unfold before him and the lump in his throat grows larger as a heaviness settles in his stomach. Eddy's cries of 'uncle' ring in Edd's ears as the boy is set down, his leg spinning wildly as his brother howls with laughter.

Eddy is picked up by his brother again and held at bay. The man strokes his goatee as Eddy attempts to negotiate entering the trailer behind them. For a moment, the man seems to consider it. Edd feels a rush of hope. Perhaps Eddy's torment had ended?

_SLAM!_

Edd cringes as Eddy is hurled against the door to the trailer, only to be picked up and thrown back. Over and over, Eddy is thrown like a baseball at the trailer door. Edd clutches at his hat, too stunned to react at the moment.

He looks to the other kids, searching their faces for help. Their expressions are a jumble. Nazz looks absolutely disgusted, her arms crossed and a scowl on her fair face. Kevin stands behind her, cowering and clinging to her arm. He's afraid. Edd understands completely.

He is just as frightened.

Rolf looks furious, his hands balled into fists as he glares at Bro's back. Edd chases after that hope; perhaps Rolf, with his inhuman strength, could stop this.

No. Rolf holds back. He's just as afraid as Kevin is.

His eyes drift a bit to the side, where the Kankers are holding their tallest sister at bay. Lee is struggling to attack Eddy's brother and save 'her man'. Edd wishes they would just let her go. He believes very strongly that the girl could save his friend.

He takes note of Sarah and Jimmy behind them as well. Jimmy is cowering behind her, his protector, and Sarah is watching in interest. Edd chooses to ignore the grin on her face, which seemed to indicate a sort of sick pleasure in Eddy's pain.

"Bro, give it up!" his attention is immediately drawn back to the brothers at the sound of Eddy's weary plea.

"Give it up?" The man delights in Eddy's pain and grins at the boy clinging desperately to his arm, "I thought you wanted to hang with your hero."

Eddy offers a pitiful whimper; "I do, Bro! I do!"

Edd shakes. He couldn't let this continue. His eyes are trained on Eddy's own fear-filled ones. He swallows his fear, his hands tightening into fists, as he takes his first step towards the beast before him. If the others wouldn't intervene, then he would. His heart thumps wildly in his chest as he slowly but surely closes the distance between them. His knees shake slightly as he stands just a foot away from the two brothers.

"Mister Eddy's Brother!" he cries, drawing their attention, "As the older sibling, don't you think you should rather be setting an example for Eddy," Edd's voice falters under the glare that is sent his way from Eddy's Brother who grins down at him. "And not…um…belittle him…in front of his…friends…?"

Eddy's Brother is quite amused as he leers down at the scrawny kid who had approached him. The kid had seemed ever so confident before he had been faced with that single glare — that shut him up real quick.

As Edd shrinks in on himself, he takes a moment to observe him. The boy before him trembles ever so slightly as his eyes nervously look towards Eddy who is attempting to escape from his grasp. The fear in this kid's eyes really is something to behold. He could see that Edd was trying his damnedest to be strong, to help his friend, but he was crumbling fast.

This just got interesting…

"Belittle? He's always been little!" Bro exclaims chuckling ever so slightly as he glances at his brother. Eddy is now desperately digging his way into the dirt behind him in an effort to escape like a trapped animal. He gives a firm yank, pulling Eddy from the ground and dangling him once again. His eyes settle back on Edd. "I like you, girlfriend."

Edd gives a small squeak as a large hand grabs his necktie, pulling him closer to the taller of the two. Bro leans down with a malicious grin as the boy whimpers; the offending material in the man's grasp tightening like a noose around the boy's small neck.

Bro leans in close to the boy in front of him, drawing Edd to tense up. He can feel the man's warm breath upon his face. His nose crinkles at the foul smell of alcohol and cigarette smoke that clung to the man. It makes him dizzy. He squirms in the man's grip. Eddy's brother is way too close for comfort! Bro's nose bumps Edd's when the boy tries to move away. A grin darkens the man's face as he realizes just how uncomfortable the boy is and speaks in a seductive purr, "You've got spunk."

Eddy looks at Edd before reaching a hand towards him, still clinging to his brother's arm. He has to get his brother to loosen his grip on his friend before anything happens to him! The movement draws attention from his savage sibling, however, and Bro grimaces as he pulls himself away from Edd again.

"Leave Double D alone!"

Cocking his brow, Bro glances in the direction of his trailer, where the last remaining Ed stands with an angry look on his face. Grinning, he rears back and throws his brother at the boy.

"Eddy!" Edd cries, momentarily forgetting his discomfort as he reaches after him.

Ed gasps and opens his arms in an effort to protect his friend from further harm. Eddy screams as he crashes into Ed's middle, knocking them both into the trailer. Ed's arms, which had wrapped protectively around Eddy, loosen their grip as Ed slumps over onto his side. Eddy lifts himself up weakly and turns to Ed. Panic races through his veins when he sees that Ed isn't moving. Wearily, Eddy pats his face in an effort to rouse him.

"Ed?" he whimpers, "Ed?!"

"Oh dear! Ed!" Edd cries, struggling desperately in Bro's grip.

From where he remained trapped, he could see Ed's chest slowly rising and falling, indicating that the boy was, in fact, alive. However, this did not stop Edd from trying to escape his captor to tend to his injured companions. Bro holds firm, however, and grabs Edd's upper arm.

"Not so fast, sweetheart," the man purrs, pulling Edd back to him.

Edd squirms more as his other hand reaches up to grab at Bro's larger hand that is causing him discomfort as the fingers press down, bruising his delicate, pale skin. He fingers curl into the red fabric, tugging at it as he attempts to dislodge the appendage.

"Playing hard to get, huh?" Bro leers at Edd whose cheeks begin to turn red as tears pool at the corners of his green eyes. Bro's hand grabs his chin none too gently and he forces the boy to look at him. He leans closer and whispers softly into his ear, "I love it when they struggle."

Edd's eyes widen and the tears cascade down his cheeks as he cries out in horror. His struggles increase tenfold. Bro chuckles, watching the boy, before he gives a hard squeeze to the small arm making the boy cease his struggles and cry out in pain.

"Unhand me, you inhumane beast!" Edd cries as tears continue to fall from his eyes and he begins to kick at Bro, who seems to find this all very amusing. "Oh, please! Release me! You're hurting me! Eddy! Eddy, please, help! It hurts…_hic_…"

Eddy unsteadily rises to his feet, stumbling forward slightly. He hears his best friend's cries. Looking up, he sees Edd straining against his brother's grip and his eyes widen seeing the tears in the boy's eyes and the bruises that have begun to appear on his friend's arm.

"Bro, please!" Eddy pleads at his brother, who is once again annoyed that his attention is drawn away from his prey as he glares at his younger brother. "He has nothing to do with this! Just let him go, Bro."

"Your girlfriend that important to you, Pipsqueak?" Bro sneers at his brother as he tightens his hold on Edd, pulling him closer to his side. "Alright, I got a new game for ya. Kinda like that 'hide n' seek' game you little anklebiters used to play in the cul-de-sac."

"What the heck is that suppose to mean?!" Eddy cries out, frustrated and confused at his elder sibling's words. His concern for Edd is almost suffocating. "What are you playing at, Bro?! Just let Double D go! He didn't do anything!"

Bro frowns angrily. Eddy hears a shriek of pain as Edd's arm receives a violent squeeze and Edd sobs in pain as he grabs at Bro's hand. The boy is weeping softly for him to let go — that his arm hurts. Bro grins wickedly at Eddy, who realizes that his brother had hurt Double D because of him.

The shortest Ed scans the group beyond his brother, pleading with his eyes for them to help. They're just standing there, frozen in fear. The Kankers seem to be the only ones who look interested in stopping this, but even they don't dare near the brutal scene. Shakily, Eddy bows his head, biting his lip as he looks at the ground guiltily.

"Watch your tone, Pipsqueak," Bro taunts at his little brother as he raises his other hand up to wag his finger at him. Bro moves his hand slowly, but firmly up Edd's arm, making the boy flinch before that hand tightens on his shoulder. He then moves Edd so the boy is standing in front of him and brings his right hand up to grip Edd's right shoulder. "Or your girlfriend is gonna pay for it."

Edd trembles as he looks at his friends. His stomach is in knots. He felt sick. Ed and Eddy need help and he can do nothing. He feels the grip on him slack. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he makes a mad dash toward his friends. A snarl behind him sends a feeling of cold dread down his spine and he barely blinks before a thick, red-plaid colored arm snakes around his neck. Edd gasps as he's yanked back roughly and held off the ground. Whimpering softly, Edd reaches his hand out towards Eddy.

"Eddy, please…" comes the soft, pathetic plea as Edd chokes down a sob. He looks at his best friend with fear-filled eyes. "Please, help me, Eddy…_hic_…_hic_…Ahhhhhhhh!"

Edd is reduced to sobbing for his friend who is barely able to stand up. Eddy's heart tightens seeing his friend so scared. His eyes drift up to the hand that's reaching towards him, flinching as he sees the dark black and blue finger marks that paint the pale skin. Bro stands there, leering at Edd and enjoying the fact that the boy is weeping and is absolutely helpless. He has reduced the boy to this state, crying and scared.

And he loves it.

Bro pulls Edd close and leans in to whisper into the boy's ear, "Play nice, Princess…and I'll give you something good later." He gives a small pat to the boy's black hat when that silences him. Edd cowers in fear of those words as Bro returns his attention to his pesky little brother. "Now, where was I?" He strokes his goatee gently smirking wickedly at Eddy who looks up with an almost defeated look on his face before he continues, "Ah, I remember now. A new game. I'll give you three days to find me and your little girlfriend here. If you do, you can have him back; safe and sound."

Eddy swallows as a worrisome feeling fills his stomach upon seeing the dark look in his brother's eyes. His focus returns to a now silent Edd, who hangs in his brother's grip submissively in fear of being hurt again.

"But if you can't, well, hehe," he chuckles deeply, looking up at Eddy with a wide grin as he gives another pat to Edd's beanie. "Well, Pipsqueak, he'll be my girlfriend then."

Edd's heart sinks into his stomach. Had he heard that correctly? This was highly inappropriate! Surely the man was just saying this to toy with Eddy? With all of his cruelty, it wouldn't surprise Edd in the least. He only hoped that this really was the case. He shivers as the man continues.

"Don't think I don't have any rules for you, though," he purrs, "Not many, but you better pay attention. They're simple enough; no cops, no folks, no one but you and those anklebiters behind you. Oh, and if I find out you disobeyed these rules…? Well…" he casts his eyes to Edd again, "your girlfriend will pay the price."

Bro reaches down towards his pants pocket, grinning as he brushes Edd's red clad calf. He gives it a pinch, drawing a whimper from the boy, before digging into his pocket and removing a set of keys. He takes a moment to search through the keys before selecting one; a simple, silver key with a black covering on the top.

Eddy pushes himself off of the ground as his brother begins walking away, cool and collected; daring any of the kids to challenge him as he carries Edd away.

"Where's he taking my pumpkin!" Marie wails, her mascara running down her cheeks as she forces herself to stay back.

The kids look amongst each other. What could they do? Any move Eddy had made towards Edd had gotten them both hurt. Eddy struggles to follow, tripping over his own feet as his beaten body betrays him.

"Come back here!" Eddy barks, "I didn't agree to nothing! Bring him back!"

His pleas fall on deaf ears as his brother ventures past his trailer. Eddy weakly crawls after him and the kids cautiously follow. Bro approaches a bright red van. Eddy finds himself reminded of the van back in the junkyard where he, Ed and Edd would spend their days planning new scams or just getting away from the others to hang out alone. This vehicle even has a similar tear drop design on the side as their beloved hangout spot. Bile rose in Eddy's throat at the idea that both vans may have belonged to his brother at some point.

He'd never look at their hideaway the same way again.

He watches, helpless, as his brother unlocks the back doors. Black curtains are pulled open and Edd is shoved inside. From what little he can see from this vantage, the interior is barren save for a mattress and at least one pillow. Nothing on the inner walls. Nothing else in the floor. It takes Add several moments to recover from his fall into the bed. Bro uses that time to slam the door shut and lock it again. With a sadistic grin, he turns back to Eddy, who is trying so desperately to make it to his feet to run.

"Remember, Pipsqueak," he chortles, holding up three fingers, "Three days."

He climbs into the driver's seat and starts the car, revving the engine. The kids watch in horror as Add appear in the rear window, trying to force the doors open. When that proves to be fruitless, he begins pounding his weak fists against the glass.

"Eddy!" they can barely hear his panicked screams, "Eddy! Help me! Eddy!"

Bro leans out the window and sneers back at his brother; "Good luck…"

Without another word, he hits the accelerator and the van tears from the scene. Eddy runs desperately after him, crying Edd's name.

"Double D!" he sobs, "Double D!"

His foot catches on a rock and he plummets to the ground, unmoving, save for the sobs that continue to rack his body. He reaches a hand out after the van, expelling clouds of exhaust. He desperately reaches for Edd's pleading, tear stained face.

"Edd…!"

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**Review, but flames will be used to cook our marshmallows and make smores.**


	2. An Ed More In Sorrow Than Anger

**A Good Edd Is Hard To Find**

**Summary:**

**The Ed's encounter with Bro takes a dark turn as the savage sibling concocts a dangerous game for Eddy and Double D. The race is on for Ed, Eddy and the kids of the cul-de-sac to save Edd from Eddy's brother. Friendships will be questioned. Sanity will be strained. Will the Eds be separated for good?**

**Triggers include Pedophilia, Child Grooming, Child Abuse, Sexual Assualt, Possible Dub-Con, Drunken Behavior, Alcohol Abuse, and Physical and Verbal Abuse. Other warnings include Violence and Language.**

**Pairings include BroEdd and EddyEdd. Subtle Hints at other pairings, but BroEdd and EddyEdd are the main two that will be focused on it.**

**This is being co-written by DuoXKouga and Battygirl.**

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_Authors' Notes:_

_DuoXKouga: Hey, guys, there's a very very naughty scene in this chapter. It is forced so please, be warned! It is between an ADULT and a MINOR! It's about to get really dark. *turns on flashlight*_

_Battygirl: Kay so, this one takes a turn down a dark road. If you're not comfortable with the triggers we've listed, you best turn away NOW. Because shit's about to go down and we don't need anyone upset. Also, I forgot to mention in my notes for the last chapter, but we HAVE given Eddy's brother a name. We wont' be JUST calling him 'Bro' or 'Eddy's brother' throughout the entirety of the fic. The opportunity just hasn't presented itself yet for Bro to introduce himself or for Eddy to say his name. I know that sounds odd. You're prolly thinking, well why doesn't he just SAY it? Well, in my head, Eddy would just call him bro until he blurts the name out at some point...which will prolly be NEXT chapter. So…till then you'll just have to wait and speculate._

_There's another thing I forgot to mention last chapter that I'd like to bring up real quick here. I'm aware of a certain anonymous reviewer on this site who's made comments on one of my favorite BroEdd fics that are less 'flames' and more harassment. You know who you are, man. Coming into a story you don't approve of and leaving an angry comment over and over again. Anon reviews ARE enabled right now, but if we see that happening, you guys will lose that privilege. We are not going to deal with that. We don't deserve it and if you don't like it and review anyway, then it's YOUR problem, not mine._

**Edit_:_**_ Sorry about the issues with the chapters and order and stuff. Everything should be correct now.  
_

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**Chapter 2: An Ed More In Sorrow Than Anger**

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Eddy sits there in stunned silence, staring after the van long after it has disappeared from his sight. He wants to move; to run until his feet bleed and his body gives out. Instead, he sits there, mind reeling but also at a standstill. His body won't respond to his wishes. He vaguely notices the others moving around him. He ignores them. Now they want to help?

_Fuck them._

Rolf is running over to Ed, screaming some gibberish Eddy only ever half understands anyway.

"Ed-boy! Speak to Rolf!" the self-proclaimed 'son of a shepherd' pleas as he reaches the unconscious boy.

May joins him shortly, tears in her eyes.

"Ed!" she sobs, cradling his head in her lap, "Please, wake up!"

Ed moans incomprehensibly, responding to May's gentle petting. He blinks his eyes open one at a time. For a moment, he just looks around blearily. He spots Eddy, sitting alone, and his eyes search for Edd. The situation comes crashing down upon him as he remembers the events that led up to his blackout. Eddy's brother hurting Double D. Eddy's brother throwing Eddy at him. Nothing.

"Eddy!" he screams, bolting to his feet, "Double D! Ed will save you!"

He begins to run around in a frenzy. Eddy's brother is nowhere in sight. Neither is Edd.

Sarah glares at him as he runs around frantically; "Stop that, you idiot!"

Ed stops and whips around to her. She and Jimmy stand near Lee and Marie, cowering and holding each other. Sarah is, naturally, much more calm than her companion, who is shaking like a leaf. Ed barrels towards them.

"Baby sister!" he cries, scooping them up into a crushing bear hug, "Are you hurt?!"

"Ed!" Sarah shrieks, startling him, "Put us down!"

Ed does so delicately. To his right, Marie is pacing back and forth, her arms switching between crossing defensively over her chest and waving frantically in the air as she mumbles angry curses to herself.

"That big jerk!" she grumbles, "Taking my boyfriend like that — Who the fuck does he think he is?! — D-Double D!"

Lee is ignoring her, her focus entirely on Eddy. He had still yet to move from his spot during all of this commotion and it was starting to concern her. She takes a few steps toward him.

"Where oh where has my Double D gone?!" Ed cries, running in place as he looks around in a panic.

A silence stretches among the kids as they debate with looks who should reveal what happened. The tension gives the answer as Jimmy bursts into tears.

"Eddy's brother took Double D!" he screams shrilly, waving his hands in front of his face as he bawls. He fell to the ground into a fetal position. "It was awful! He bruised and bullied Double D and Eddy and then he took him away! Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!"

The child devolves into nothing but sobs and Ed soon joins him with screams of horror. A sigh escapes Nazz as she rushes over to them in an effort to calm them down and explain the situation properly.

Lee, by this time, has reached Eddy. For a moment, she does nothing. She isn't used to this kind of conflict or comforting anyone but her sisters. Were this a normal situation, she'd have made a smart ass remark; playing it off as nothing.

This situation is very different.

Tensely, she reaches a hand towards Eddy. No sooner had she placed her hand on his shoulder when it was smacked away. Eddy slowly stands and shoots her a hateful glare.

"Don't _touch_ me!" he roars, startling her, "Don't you _fucking_ touch me!"

Kevin steps forward, "Dude, relax!"

"Shut the fuck up, Shovel-chin!" Eddy snaps, pointing an accusing finger at the jock, "Where were _you_ when he was touching Double D?! Where were _you_ when he was dragging him away?!"

"Chill, man" Kevin tries to assuage him, "I was just—"

"This is all _your_ fault!" Eddy growls, "If you guys hadn't been trying to kill us, we wouldn't have come all this way!" He turns his accusing gaze to the Kankers. "If you had any backbone between the three of you, you could've stopped him!" He tugs at his hair as tears well in his eyes, "None of you did _anything_! You just stood there and let it happen!"

He screws his eyes shut, feeling as though his head may burst any minute from his frustration and anger and pain and…A few tears escape his shut eyes. He wants so bad to cast the blame on everyone around him. He wants so bad to say this isn't his fault.

But it is.

His hands come down to cover his eyes as he sobs. It _is_ his fault Edd is gone. He's the one who messed up their scam. He's the one who lead them to believe that his brother would help them. He's the one who gave Double D all of those clues stretched so far from the truth, underestimating his best friend's intelligence time and again. He's the one at fault.

_I didn't get to tell him…_His thoughts buzz around in his head like a swarm of angry bees. _I didn't get to tell him I was sorry for this whole mess. I didn't get to tell him I'm sorry for making him cry. That I'm sorry for scaring him so much with those horrible pranks! I didn't get to tell him I'm sorry for lying all this time about my brother. I didn't tell him I…I didn't tell him…Edd…_

"I'm sorry," he whimpers, sniffling as tears fall freely down his cheeks and as he sinks to his knees once more, "It's all my fault. Everything I ever said about my brother…I-I lied…A-About everything! I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"

Ed's arms are around him within moments of his apology. He barely notices the warmth or Ed's stink. He's too lost in his own tears. Ed feels Eddy gripping his t-shirt between his fingers.

"I'm sorry," he blubbers into Ed's chest, "It's all my fault, Ed…I'm sorry…"

Ed pats his back comfortingly, but fights to find the words to say. He didn't know what he could say. He feels just as lost.

The group is startled by a loud horn as a bus careens into the park. It spins on its wheels as it skids to a halt several yards away. A silence follows, most of the kids staring at the bus expectantly.

_"Your time of reckoning has come, rapscallions!"_

Johnny leaps from the bus dressed in the guise of his alter-ego, Captain Melonhead. He holds a broom in his right hand which has Plank tied to the end. A mask has been tied over the board's 'eyes' for his 'Spinter the Wonder Wood' identity. Johnny's eyes are trained on the two remaining Eds, and, with little other warning, charges for them.

"It's Melon Time!" he cries.

The kids move to defend the grief-stricken boys, but soon find there is no need. Ed lets go of Eddy and stands. His face is dark and frightening as Johnny barrels towards them. The melon-helmeted boy runs into him, only to be knocked back by the wall that was Ed. Looming over him, Ed casts him his most fearsome look.

"Horrible fate!" he roars, startling Johnny, "You will not hurt Eddy anymore!"

Johnny's face screams his confusion and fear of the largest Ed. He hadn't seen the boy this furious since the day Ed had a pebble in his shoe. He had chosen to take his frustrations out on everyone in the cul-de-sac. He'd nearly broken Plank over his knee that day. Fear grips Johnny like a vice as that possibility rears its ugly head in his mind.

Eddy almost feels bad for him. The kid didn't know what was going on. However, he finds himself too hurt to care about filling him in. Nazz, thankfully, steps in.

"Dude, not cool," she coos softly as she approaches the late-arriver, "Now isn't the time to, like, be on the Eds' case."

Ed turns back to Eddy to allow Nazz to talk to Johnny. His sorrowful chum needs him now for comfort. Marie storms up to them.

"Why are we just standing around?!" she shrieks.

Kevin steps forward; "She's right." He turns to Ed and Eddy. "Dudes, I know you're sad and all that, but the longer we sit around crying and shit, the farther away they get. We need a game plan."

"What's to plan?!" Marie cries in a rage, "We chase after that asshole!"

"How do you suppose we do _that_?!" Kevin snaps back, "And even if we _could_ catch up to them, how do you think we're gonna take on that psycho?!"

"Hey, he _said_ he'd give Double D back if we found 'em!" Marie insists.

Eddy glares at her; "You really think my Bro is gonna do that?!" His words startle them. "You really think my Bro's gonna give Double D back just because we win?!"

Marie shrinks in on herself; she hadn't thought of that…After what they'd seen of the man, she guesses that he probably _wouldn't _surrender their friend. They really _did_ need a plan of attack.

Lee places a hand on her shoulder; "Don't worry, Marie, we'll get your boyfriend back. Nobody steals from the Kankers and gets away with it!"

Eddy rises to his feet, slowly finding his resolve.

"Nobody splits up the Eds, either," he growls, looking to Ed, "You with me, big guy?"

Ed looks at Eddy carefully before pulling himself to his feet and wrapping him up in a hug. Eddy returns it, hugging him tightly. When Ed pulls away, he's grinning widely.

"Let's go save our Double D!" he cries.

Eddy grins back, determined, and turns to the others.

"Alright, we don't got a lot of time," he dictates, "Who's got any ideas?"

"Someone should take Jimmy, Sarah, and Johnny home," Nazz suggests, "They shouldn't be exposed to this any more than they have been. I can do that while you guys go look for Double D. After all, our parents trust me to be responsible, so I'm probably the best person to watch over them."

"What are you gonna tell the folks?" Eddy asks seriously, "My bro warned us that–"

"I'll come up with something," Nazz assures him, "I won't tell them your brother's involved. At least not at first. After day three, I'm going to have to tell them no matter what."

Eddy nods in approval and Nazz approaches the younger kids, ushering them along. Jimmy and Sarah look happy to be leaving. They cast Eddy a sorrowful look, wishing without speaking that Edd is found and returned safe and sound.

As they walk away, Nazz finds herself thinking about how surprised she is by this turn. As long as she'd known Eddy, she'd never seen him this serious. She realizes she shouldn't be so shocked; Edd had been taken from them. She had never seen the Eds separated like this before, if at all, since they'd known each other. A grin finds its way to her face as she escorts the children away; glad to see Eddy taking charge to save his friend.

When they are out of sight, Eddy turns to Kevin and Rolf.

"Next, we gotta try to find a trail or something," he determines before pointing to the tracks in the ground left by the van, "We won't be able to follow those tire tracks for too long if my bro turns onto a paved road."

"Rolf will provide the tracking skills needed to find the brainy Ed-boy!" Rolf announced pridefully, "Wilfred!" The pig squeals and waddles away. Rolf gives chase. "Wilfred! Return to Rolf this instant!"

Eddy rubbed his eyes tiredly; "Oh my God…Double D's a goner…"

Lee shakes her head and walks toward the trailer.

"Leave this one to us, boys," she grunts, "May, Marie!" She points to the door. "Search the place!"

The girls turn to the trailer, eyes alight with deviance as they charge for the door, disappearing inside and shutting themselves in. The boys watch in shock as the trailer rocks and shakes. The sisters are tearing the place apart! Kevin pales a he's reminded of the incident surrounding the Kanker's ship in a bottle. They'd destroyed the entire cul-de-sac looking for that thing. The only ones spared back then were the Eds. It had been a dark day that summer.

After about twenty minutes, Lee kicks the door open, a book in her hands. She approaches Eddy. Upon closer inspection, Eddy finds it to be a photo album.

"You think there's anything in there?" Lee asks, handing the album to Eddy.

"I dunno," Eddy grumbles, sitting down and flipping through the pages "I never saw this one before…"

The photos in the book are very old. His parents are in most of them. He starts to see red; his brother is in them too. He's much younger – one or two years older than Eddy is now, if he had to guess – but he still looks as surly as he always had. Eddy thumbs through the pages. He didn't know what exactly he is looking for, but he has a strong feeling that something here would give them a heading.

His parents; happy, both smoking heavily in their photos. His brother; trying to look cool, but looking more annoyed than anything. He stops on a photo of the three of them, standing in front of a trailer. For as long as he could remember, his mother had always been a larger woman, but even here, Eddy is able to make out a pregnant belly. This picture was taken before he was born, when his mother was pregnant with him. Edd had explained to him the truth about where babies come from. After several hours of disgust and panic, he came to accept that his brother had been trying to scare him with _his_ version. He's capable of spotting these things now.

He also sees the cold look his brother is giving his parents. They don't seem to notice. Eddy assumes they never did if they kept the photo. He takes the image out to examine it more closely. They weren't in Peach Creek Estates here. It was a trailer park. Squinting, he is just barely able to make out a sign in the background.

'Pine Fresh Motor Homes'.

He realizes it's a long shot, but maybe this really is the clue he was looking for.

"Hey, guys," he announces, "I think I found somethin'."

* * *

Edd sits, slumped against the back door of the van, still sniffling. His thoughts are heavy with worry. He wonders if he would ever see his friends again. He imagines he could live without seeing the Kankers for the rest of his life, but he would be lying if he said he wouldn't prefer their company over Eddy's brother's.

Kevin…Rolf…Nazz…

Their faces fade in and out of his mind. Would they miss him? The three of them had treated him with slightly more favor in the past than his friends. Of course, he feels as though the scam that landed him in this mess might have eradicated any favor they may have had towards him.

Sarah…Jimmy…Johnny…

Edd tries to blink away his tears. No, they wouldn't care. Sarah and Jimmy had come to see him and his friends beaten and he feels positive that Johnny would delight in his absence.

One less Ed to worry about…

He reflects on his dearest friends. Ed, loveable oaf as he is, will be heartbroken. Edd can almost hear his dear friend's cries of anguish. And Eddy…

His heart gives a throb when he thinks of him and he bites his lip. What on earth was this? He considers how he has started feeling this more and more when his thoughts turned to his shorter companion. A feeling of warmth in his chest that would spread throughout his body and to the tips of his fingers and toes. He always tried to think back on his readings when this feeling hit him; searching his memories for a nugget of information that would explain this. Nothing ever did.

He shakes his head. No use thinking on that now. He would search for his answer later. Right now, he decides to focus on returning to his friends.

Shakily, he pulls himself up onto his hands and knees. With the vehicle moving like this, he can only find stability this way. He slowly makes his way to the front of the van where Eddy's brother is busy focusing on the road.

…Or so Edd hoped.

He watches as the man leans over, grabbing something from the floor. Edd squeaks as the van swerves suddenly, sending him onto his side. Bro repositions himself and brings the bottle of beer up to his mouth, popping the cap off with his teeth. The sound of teeth scraping against metal and glass makes Edd cringe almost as much as the alcohol intake itself. The boy grimaces and makes his move.

Eddy's brother manages to take one swig of his beer before it's snatched from of his hand. He looks over at the kid who is now in the passenger seat with his beer in hand. Edd's eyes are wide and he appears to be really flustered.

"Are you mad?!" Edd shouts at the man beside him as he holds the foul-smelling beverage away from his face, but out of Bro's reach, "I demand you cease this drunken behavior and turn this vehicle around!"

Bro stares at the boy before breaking out in a roar of laughter. Oh man, this kid was a riot!

_No wonder Pipsqueak wants him so damn bad!_

He grins at Edd who shivers at the look.

"Sorry 'bout your luck, Princess, but this is a one way trip for you." He smirks maliciously as he reaches to take his beer back. Edd holds it just out of reach, drawing a growl from him as the boy moves further back against the passenger door. "Give me my beer back, you little bitch."

"No!" Edd cries at him, holding the bottle out of the window. Bro watches him out of the corner of his eye, but Edd can see the man wasn't taking him seriously at all. He would have to make his demands more clear. "Take me back to my friends this instant! We'll never bother you again _and_ you can have your precious alcohol back!"

An amused chuckle escapes the man. He dismisses the boy's words as an empty threat as he returns his attention back to the road. A sudden clinking sound catches his attention. Glancing back over at the window, he watches as the boy gives him a small, devious grin before dropping the bottle out the window.

Edd has no time to react as Bro slams on the breaks. The boy cries out in pain as his head slams into the dashboard before he's thrown back into the passenger seat. Bro grabs the back of his shirt yanking him over as the man glares down at him, anger burning in his eyes.

"What the fuck was that, you little shit?!" He demands, motioning with his arm towards the window.

Edd flinches in anticipation of a strike. Bro shakes the boy, his anger refusing to sizzle over. Without a second though, he brings his hand down across the boy's face, slapping him across his cheek and making the boy's head follow the action, snapping to the side. Edd is stunned, gripped with pure shock and fear, as he slowly raises his hand to touch his burning, red cheek before looking up at Bro with fearful eyes.

"How'm I supposed to drive without something to drink?!" The man is irate and he growls as he attempts to focus "That was my last beer, dammit!"

How the hell is he expected to drive now?! That really was the only beer he had in the van and, besides the kid, he has no other way to…

_…Wait a second…_

Bro looks Edd over. The boy is crying softly from being hit and is cowering from the man before him. Bro's smirk returns to his face as he realizes just how he could keep himself entertained.

And Edd really _did_ need to be punished for wasting that beer.

Moving his grip from the Edd's shirt to the boy's chin and gripping tightly, he pulls the boy closer. He reaches down with his other hand and slowly unzips his pants, pulling out his half-erect cock. Edd's eyes grew wide and he pulled his hat down over his eyes.

"Make yourself decent!" the boy demands, struggling against the man.

"Sorry, Princess," the man purrs back, "But since you decided to be such a bad boy, I'm gonna have to punish you."

Bro licks his lips as he presses his thumb over the boy's soft lips. He groans softly in anticipation of having those lips on his cock.

"P-Please!" Edd begs, "Put that…that _thing_ away! It's so inappropriate!"

Edd cries out as his head is drawn closer to the man's crotch and he flinches when the man shoves his face right next to it. Shivers rack his body when he feels the appendage harden against his cheek. Desperately, he cries out and begins pushing at the man's thighs.

Bro grimaces in irritation before reaching into the broken glove box and retrieving a pair of gleaming, silver handcuffs. Grabbing the boy's wrists, he jerks them behind his back, making Edd whimper in discomfort. He clicks them tightly into place and Edd struggles to free his hands from behind his back.

"There ya go, sweetheart," He smirks as he pulls the boy's face back to his crotch, pleased when Edd cannot struggle as much.

His grip on the boy's chin tightens and makes the boy whimper in pain as his mouth is forced open. With a grin, Bro forces Edd to take the entire length into his mouth. The boy's body violently tries to pull itself free as gagging sounds come from him. Edd is panicking as this filthy…filthy thing is forced into his mouth. The elder moans in pleasure. The feeling of that small mouth around his cock is heavenly. So warm and wet. He looks down, watching the boy struggle to breathe around the obstruction.

"Breathe through your nose." Bro groans as he begins to drive once again.

Moving his hand to the back of Edd's neck near the base of his hairline, he begins a slow pace of bobbing the boy's head up and down his cock. Edd squirms in his grip. To cease his writhing, Bro gets rougher. His cock slams into the back of the boy's throat, making Edd gag and cough.

"If you puke on me, I'll kill you," the threat spoken through the man's teeth makes Edd feel even more sick than he already did.

This is so dirty! He wants him to release his head so he can curl up and weep for his friends. He wants a shower; to scrub himself raw. He yearns for mouthwash to remove this wretched taste from his mouth. The member violating his mouth and resting on his tongue is so thick and he can barely remember to take breaths as it rams into his mouth rougher each time. When it hits the back of his throat, pain and nausea course through him.

Bro lays his head back, moaning. He's somehow able to keep his eyes on the road ahead of him, but only just. He can't get enough of Edd's mouth around him and he can feel himself slowly drawing closer to release. He pushes the boy's head all the way down and moans softly as the heat pools in his stomach. He looks at Edd's teary, red face and gives him another cold, sadistic grin.

"Here's a little treat for doing such a good job, Princess," Bro's voice rumbles low in his chest, "Swallow it all."

The boy lets out a soft whimper before his eyes widen. Cum hits the back of his throat and pools in his mouth, making him retch. Edd tries desperately to pull away so he didn't have to swallow the foul ejaculate, but the grip on the back of his neck makes it impossible for him to do so.

He has no choice.

Reluctantly, he forces himself to swallow and allows the tears to fall. Nausea hits his stomach immediately and his body fights to dispel the fluids. But he withholds his vomit, the man's threat heavy on his mind.

Bro waits until his cock has softened before pulling the boy up. Gripping the boy's sore chin again and opening Edd's mouth, he smiles in approval. The boy had indeed done exactly as he'd asked.

"That's a good boy," he chuckled, patting Edd's cheek, "Wasn't it yummy?"

He shoves Edd back into the passenger's seat and tucks himself back into his pants. The boy is crying and coughing as he curls up. His hands are still restrained behind his back, but he still moves as far away from the man as he can, sobbing. Bro smirks and reaches over to touch the boy's leg, which is extended slightly towards him in Edd's effort to move away.

"Don't worry, Princess," he purrs, stroking the boy's thigh, "There's plenty more where that came from."

* * *

**DuoXKouga: The next chapter is gonna be rough and dark. Heads up warning. Also, thanks for your support and we love your reviews! Please keep sending them! Also, don't hesitate to point out a mistake we might have made. THANK YOU ALL!**


	3. Edd Should Be Seen And Not Heard

**A Good Edd Is Hard To Find**

**Summary:**

**The Ed's encounter with Bro takes a dark turn as the savage sibling concocts a dangerous game for Eddy and Double D. The race is on for Ed, Eddy and the kids of the cul-de-sac to save Edd from Eddy's brother. Friendships will be questioned. Sanity will be strained. Will the Eds be separated for good?**

**Triggers include Pedophilia, Child Grooming, Child Abuse, Sexual Assualt, Possible Dub-Con, Drunken Behavior, Alcohol Abuse, and Physical and Verbal Abuse. Other warnings include Violence and Language.**

**Pairings include BroEdd and EddyEdd. Subtle Hints at other pairings, but BroEdd and EddyEdd are the main two that will be focused on it.**

**This is being co-written by DuoXKouga and Battygirl.**

* * *

_Authors' Notes:_

_DuoXKouga: I know it's been a while since the last update. Things have been very stressful around here the last few weeks...So, yeah. Now We're back again. Title name may be subject to change._

_Battygirl: Hey guys! Sorry this chapter is so late! I mean, we never gave any of you any suggested update days or anything, but we both realize it's been a couple of weeks since chapter two and still no update. So…sorry about that. Life has been rearing it's ugly head and getting in the way of progress on this chapter. With DuoXKouga working two jobs, collaborating has been tough. Hopefully we'll be able to get updates out sooner, but don't hold your breath, okay? And for the people who reviewed the last two chapters, thanks so much! We really love receiving your feedback! Please, don't hesitate to hit that review button and let us know what you think!_

* * *

**Chapter 3: Edd should be seen and not heard**

* * *

It's been hours. At least, that's what Edd assumes. He has no way of knowing the exact passage of time. For that, he would need to look at the clock on the radio and in the direction of Eddy's brother.

And that, he decides, is completely out of the question.

Bro's hand is still resting on his thigh. Edd wants to remove it — to smack his hand away for daring to touch him after what the man had made him do — but his hands are still bound behind his back. At first, he'd tried edging farther away, but it was no use. With the way his hands are shackled, he cannot move any farther without moving his legs towards Eddy's brother and pulling his legs toward himself only succeeded in pulling himself back towards the man instead. This left him with no other option than to lean against the door and allow the man to continue his vile caresses.

Every now and then, Bro would squeeze his thigh, reminding the boy that he still had hold of him. Edd would shiver, offer a weak whimper and curl further in on himself. There are times when the boy almost nods off, his weary mind calming just enough for him to sleep and escape the nightmare of this reality. Just when he would reach that threshold, the grip on his leg would tighten and his consciousness would abruptly return, leaving Edd groggy and whimpering.

The van is slowing. Edd feels them turning off onto another road. The terrain is rougher here, but the vehicle remains stable enough that the boy can mostly ignore it. Finally, the van comes to a slow stop. The hand on his leg is removed and Edd heaves a sigh of relief. He hears the driver's side door open and close. Footsteps moving around the front of the van and to his side.

The door he's leaning on is suddenly moved away. Edd cries out as he falls forward, anticipating the quick decent onto the unforgiving ground. The contact is not made and he instead falls almost softly against Bro's middle. The man chuckles darkly, his hand on the door.

"Already wantin' more, Princess?" he purrs, "Didn't realize how much you liked it."

Bile rises in Edd's throat and he can't hold back any longer. He turns his head to the side and tumbles out of the vehicle and onto the ground. He has no time to cry out. He struggles to sit up and expel the limited contents of his stomach; doing what he can to avoid the man standing over him. Bro howls with laughter as the boy is reduced to dry heaving. He grabs the back of Edd's shirt and hauls him up.

"Have you _really_ been holding that in this whole time?!" he cackles.

An indignant blush spreads over Edd's cheeks and he looks away shamefully. The man's laughter rumbles low in his chest as he looks Edd over. The kid's a mess. Specks of vomit remain on his lips and he's sure the kid's arms must be killing him. Thoughtfully, the man leans Edd up against the van, keeping his hand on the boy's shoulder to keep him from moving. Edd grimaces at the contact, but chooses to remain where he is standing. His legs are sore from sitting curled up for so long and he feels certain that he wouldn't get far anyway if he were to run. Rather stay where he is held than let the man chase him down and inflict more pain upon him.

Reaching into the glove compartment where he'd kept the handcuffs, Bro retrieves a small key. Edd glances at him as the man turns him away to unlock the handcuffs. The boy sighs again in relief, rubbing his sore wrists. Bro allows Edd to stretch his arms for a moment, to allow the blood to return to his appendages, before snatching his hands up. Edd struggles for a moment as the man slaps the cuffs back onto his wrists, keeping the boy's hands in front of him this time.

When he's sure the cuffs are secured, the man shuts the door and pulls Edd along to the back doors. Edd watches in mild disinterest as Eddy's brother opens the doors and looks around for…something. The boy sighs and looks around uncomfortably. He doesn't recognize anything around him. Where on earth was the man taking him? Glancing to him, he considers asking.

He holds his tongue. There's still a vile aftertaste in his mouth and his throat is burning from vomiting. He has a bad feeling that the man may not take kindly to him speaking anyway. Finally, the man stands straight again, a bottle in his hands. He glances at Edd and reaches into his pocket, retrieving a small cloth. He opens the bottle and wets the handkerchief some. Edd's eyes widen and he licks his lips a bit; water!

Bro's large hand grabs Edd's tie and yanks him close. Edd shuts his eyes tight in anticipation of a strike. Had he done something to enrage him? What horrific act is he going to perform with that rag?!

Against his chin, he feels the damp cloth dabbing…_gently_? His eyes snap open in shock and his gaze is drawn instantly to the man above him. Bro's face is composed of sharp focus as he gingerly wipes Edd's mouth clean. His other hand is holding the boy's chin in place. When Edd's face is clear of the mess, the man grins; stroking the boy's chin.

"Now, doesn't that feel better?" he asked in that same, seductive voice.

A grimace makes its way to Edd's face and he looks away in disgust, ignoring the man's laugh at his expense.

"Oh ho, look at that angry face…" the man chortles, "Guess you don't want any of this water, hmm?"

Edd's attention whips back to Bro, spotting him tilting the mouth of bottle towards the ground.

"No!" he cries, his voice sounding hoarse and pained.

The grin on the man's face grows and he holds the bottle up.

"Then let's hear you ask nicely, sweetheart," he sneers.

Edd winces; "P-Please…May I _please_ have some water?"

"That's better," Bro chuckles and places the bottle in Edd's hands, "Here ya go, Princess."

Edd lifts the bottle to his lips and drinks greedily. He vaguely notices movement from Bro in front of him, but pays it no mind. The water is warm from sitting in the hot van in summer, but feels heavenly against his burning throat. It washes away the taste of vomit and leaves his mouth feeling clean again.

When he finally lowers the bottle again, it's almost empty. Bro is watching him carefully, drawing Edd to hold the bottle to his chest self-consciously. He wipes his mouth on the back of his hand and fidgets a bit.

"Th-Thank you for the water" he mumbles.

The man ignores him and grabs the bottle, setting it back in the van after capping it once again. He snatches the chain linking the handcuffs, tugging a surprised Edd along behind him. The boy looks between Bro and the van questioningly. Where's the man taking him now?! He sees they're approaching a group of bushes. Edd feels his cheeks burning as he blushes a deep shade of red. He struggles, his imagination running away with him. In any of the horror movies Ed had made him and Eddy watch, when a couple would go behind bushes, it would lead to some kind of sexual encounter. It would also end with said couple being murdered, but Edd finds himself far less afraid of the latter scenario.

They push past the foliage and make way to a tree with low hanging branches. They're far enough from the main road that, should anyone be traveling near them, they wouldn't be noticed. Edd's shivering in fear and anticipation as the man turns to him with a smirk.

"P-Please, Mister Eddy's Brother!" the boy begs, "W-Whatever you have in store for me, I urge you to reconsider!"

He gasps as Bro grabs him around his middle, lifting him with ease. The boy kicks his legs, making contact with the man once or twice, but never phasing him. Edd curses his weak physique under his breath as Bro hangs him by his wrists from one of the lower branches. The boy whimpers in discomfort, his eyes shutting tight against the sting as the cuffs dig into his wrists, but hold, supporting his light weight.

When he opens his eyes again, he finds himself at eye level with Eddy's brother, who's grinning in approval of his handiwork. It's only now that Edd sees the Polaroid camera around his neck. The boy assumes the man had grabbed it while he was quenching his thirst back at the van. Bro follows Edd's gaze and chuckles at the look of confusion the boy was giving him.

He cups Edd's chin; "We're gonna take a few pictures, sweetheart. Give your lil boyfriend somethin' good to look at now that you're all cleaned up and pretty."

Edd shivers when he feels the man's other hand come up to touch his thigh. Bro chuckles, his gaze lowering to look over the boy hanging helplessly in front of him. Squirming Edd tries again to plead with him.

"M-Mister Eddy's Brother! I implore you!" Bro glances at him with a cocked brow, "P-Please let me down! This is highly inappropriate!"

The man looks over him in scrutiny and drags his hand up Edd's side, moving the boy's shirt up so he can see the boy's bare stomach.

"And what if I don't, Princess?" he scoffs, moving his other hand down to enjoy the feeling of Edd's soft skin, "What're you gonna do about it?"

Wriggling, Edd tries to escape his touch, but can do little in his current position. He grits his teeth and gives him the harshest glare he can.

"I detest you!" he cries, "How could Eddy speak so highly of you all this time?! All Ed or I ever heard from him was how wonderful you are!" He attempted to mimic Eddy's voice, "'My brother's the coolest!' 'My bro's a whiz at this!' 'My bro's a whiz at that!' He only ever praised you as his brother and you deserved none of it!"

Edd pants, his eyes shut tight as he fights back angry tears. He expects to be struck for his little outburst, but finds himself caring less and less. It really baffles him that his dear friend could look up to someone like this. Is this really where Eddy was heading? Is this what his friend would become if his actions continued? Is this—

"Why the hell do you keep calling me that?"

Bro's sudden question breaks through Edd's thoughts and brings the boy to open his eyes and look at the man again. Eddy's brother is looking at him questioningly. He still has his hands on Edd's sides, but has ceased his groping. Instead, he seems to be holding Edd steady as he surveys him, taking some weight off of the handcuffs.

"Wh-What?" Edd furrows his brow, confused.

"I haven't heard you call me by my name once," the man notes, "You keep calling me 'Eddy's brother'. Did Pipsqueak seriously never tell you my name?"

Edd thinks on it. It hadn't occurred to him, but no; Eddy hadn't told him or Ed the man's name at all. He shakes his head.

"No…" he mumbles, "He spoke of you so often, but your name never…came up…I suppose."

The man chuckles and resumes his rough treatment of Edd's chest, drawing whimpering moans from the boy.

"Do you wanna know it?" he purrs, pulling Edd towards him.

He presses himself against the boy, burying his face in Edd's neck and breathing deep. Edd shudders, his legs flailing some as he tries to move away. Bro holds him in place, nibbling on the soft skin of the boy's neck. A sharp cry rips itself from Edd's lips as the man's teeth bite down harder. His hands clench into tight fists, his nails digging into the skin of his palms as the man starts sucking against his neck. He finds himself reminded of when the Kankers would shower him, Ed, and Eddy with their unwanted affections.

This, he notes, is very different. While the Kankers would kiss them anywhere their lips could reach along their faces and necks, they were merely pecks of their lips upon their skin. Eddy's brother isn't just leaving chaste kisses along his neck. He lingers in one spot, sucking on his neck and sometimes flicking his tongue out to tease the bruising skin. Edd squirms in his grip, trying to stop the moans that are threatening to escape him. He feels the man chuckling against his neck before Bro pulls back to look at his face again.

"You seem to enjoy that, Princess," he chuckles, tracing his jaw.

Edd whimpers, afraid to speak. The man smirks, leaning into Edd's face.

"Well, if you like it so much, I guess I'll just have to continue, hmm?" his words roll off his tongue, "But first, I want you to know my name. After all…" He moves to Edd's right and leans into his ear, breathing huskily. "I expect to hear it in your moans and screams."

Edd struggles desperately against the shackles on his wrists. He fears the metal may start cutting into his flesh, but he cares only about escape. The man laughs low in his throat and drags his tongue along the shell of Edd's ear.

"My name is Terry," he whispers haughtily, his hands tracing Edd's torso, "You better use it, sweetheart."

Shivering, Edd forces himself to nod, hoping the man will cease his caresses.

"V-Very well…T-Terry…" he whimpers, "P-Please…Please let me down from here? It hurts…"

A dark grin comes to the man's face as he pulls back to look over him. The kid looks good like this; hanging by his wrists, defenseless to whatever the man before him has in mind. And now to plead with him like this. Terry imagines he can make the boy do just about anything at this point. He glances down at the camera around his neck and remembers the entire reason he'd stopped here.

A dark grin comes to the man's face as he pulls back to look over him. The kid looks good like this; hanging by his wrists, defenseless to whatever the man before him has in mind. And now to plead with him like this. Terry imagines he can make the boy do just about anything at this point. He glances down at the camera around his neck and remembers the entire reason he'd stopped here.

"Sorry, Princess," he shrugs, grabbing the camera, "Before I can let you down, I have to take my pictures."

Edd finds his anger again in that statement as the man brings the camera up to snap a few photos.

"Must you really _document_ your depraved acts?!" the boy cries.

"C'mon, baby, give us a smile," Terry purrs, "This is for your boyfriend, after all."

Edd looks toward the ground, his cheeks burning with shame. How can he continue to insinuate such a thing?! Eddy is _not_ his boyfriend! At least not in the way the man is suggesting. He flinches, hearing the click of the camera going off. He watches out of the corner of his eye as Terry waves the small Polaroid picture so it can slowly develop. A grin forms on the man's face as he approves of the photo that greets him.

The boy is just too damn cute.

Terry tucks the photo into his jacket pocket and replaces the camera around his neck before reaching for the boy's hands. Edd winces at his touch, drawing a chuckle from the man. With ease, he lifts him off the branch, throwing him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Edd lets out a squeal, feeling the arm wrap around his waist to hold him up on the man's shoulder. He can feel his anger boil over again. Fervently, he hits Terry's back with his cuffed hands and kicks his feet wildly in an effort to make the man release him.

"Let me down this _instant_!" he wails as he struggles in the man's grip. He gives a startled yelp when a large hand gives a firm squeeze to his behind. "Wh-Where do you think you're putting those _filthy_ hands?! Put me down immediately, you brute!"

Terry finds himself smirking as the boy's struggles do nothing but entertain him more. He moves his hand over the boy's covered rear, groping the soft, malleable flesh there through the clothing. The whimpering and squealing reactions he's getting out of the boy are music to his ears. Edd begins to plead with him.

"I implore you!" he whimpers, "Cease your vile groping of my posterior and put me down!"

Terry ignores him, as he approaches the van. He opens the passenger door and tosses the boy into the seat. As he pulls his hand back, he locks the door before slamming it shut. Walking around to the other side of the van, he climbs inside. Edd has recovered from the rough handling and is sitting up, his hands fumbling with the lock on the door. Terry grimaces and grabs the back of Edd's shirt, yanking him back. With his other hand he reaches over the boy and grabs the seat belt, pulling it over him.

"Safety first, Princess," he purrs mockingly as he buckles the seat belt over Edd.

While the boy struggles to remove the seat belt and resume his attempts at escape, Terry starts the vehicle. He pulls away from the scene, driving off in the direction they had been traveling until this little detour. Edd's shoulders slump in disappointment. He'd finally unbuckled the seat belt with his fumbling hands and it was too late. Resigning himself to the futility of his endeavors, Edd curls up, pulling his knees to his chest.

Terry's words ring through his head. Eddy, his boyfriend? He has no idea how the man could have gotten such a ridiculous idea into his head! He and Eddy are and always have been the closest of friends, including Ed. Nothing more. Sure, Eddy would often be physical with him and Ed. Sometimes it would be borderline abusive and others, borderline intimate. And sure, in those times when the smaller boy would get grabby, he often reached for Edd first, pulling him in tight to his side.

A shy blush spreads over Edd's cheeks and he turns his head to the right. Yes, more often than not, Edd had been on the receiving end of a hug that pulled him tight against Eddy's stout frame. Yes, Eddy would often lean into his face, their cheeks and noses touching. Edd holds his legs tighter against his chest. There were so many times when Eddy would press himself against his friend.

Edd is beginning to question whether those incidents were as innocent as he once believed. The boy is startled from his thoughts by Terry's hand on his leg again. With a grimace, Edd shoves the man's hand away.

"Keep your filthy hands _off_ of me!" he cries, backing up against the locked door.

Terry chuckles; "Little kitten's got _claws_."

"You're deplorable," Edd grumbles, grimacing at him.

"Careful with that smart mouth of yours, Princess," Terry remarks, "You wouldn't wanna say somethin' you'll end up regretting." He glances at the boy with a smirk. "Now, would you?"

Edd's brow furrows at that. There is a foreboding aura about the way the man spoke to him. The boy tugs on his hat as he considers the multitude of things Terry may do to him if he crosses the line again. Taking the man's beer had resulted in that…disgusting punishment. He worries what else Terry would want him to do. Reluctantly, he silences himself, but remains at a fair distance, leaning against the door behind him so he can keep his eyes on the man in the case of any further inappropriate actions.

Terry notices Edd's actions and chuckles. The kid learns quick. Not only is he choosing to stop talking, but now Edd's also making sure to keep a close eye on him. He has to give the boy credit; he's not as stupid as he would have expected of a kid Eddy would hang around with. A smirk tugs at his lips as his eyes drift carefully between Edd and the road.

Such intelligence should be rewarded…

"If you're good for me," he informs him smugly, "Maybe I'll take those cuffs off you, darlin'."

Edd forces a glare at him as he blushes. It's bad enough he keeps insinuating that Eddy is his boyfriend, but must he use those suggestive pet names as well? It makes Edd's skin crawl.

Curiously, Edd tries to distract himself by looking out the window, attempting to locate any landmarks that would give him some clue as to their location. The road before them is stretching on for miles and, on either side, Edd only sees expansive fields. Every now and then, they'll come across a sign indicating what city or town they were coming up on or billboards advertising various services.

Curiously, Edd tries to distract himself by looking out the window, attempting to locate any landmarks that would give him some clue as to their location. The road before them is stretching on for miles and, on either side, Edd only sees expansive fields. Every now and then, they'll come across a sign indicating what city or town they were coming up on or billboards advertising various services.

Edd sighs a bit and slouches in disappointment. There isn't any way for him discern where exactly he is. He also realizes that even if he _can_ figure out where he is, he has no way of passing that information along to Ed and Eddy. None of them have cellular phones — and even if he did, he's sure Terry would have taken it as soon as he'd abducted him — and there is no paper nor any writing implements in the van so he can leave them notes. He nearly lets out a gasp as realization hits him like a brick.

He _does_ have a method of passing information! His fingers ghost over his hat, his eyes wide as he feels the label maker still safe beneath the black cloth. A small smile graces his features. Never before had he been more thankful for his compulsion for labeling. He can leave the labels as breadcrumbs for his friends to follow.

His eyes are cast to Terry. If he is to follow through with this little plan, he has to be careful about it. The label maker had proven to be fairly loud whenever he would punch the various characters along each strip. If he's not careful, Terry will hear it and most assuredly take away his last, lingering hope. After so many years of using the labeler on every item he owned and nearly every item he'd come in contact with in general, he'd mastered the art. He is capable of creating labels very fast when he knows exactly what he wants it to say. If he times it well, he can create one or two labels should he get out of Terry's sight and earshot.

He considers the very real possibility, though, that he may not get that chance. Biting his lip, he mulls over the idea of revealing the label maker to Terry anyway. His compulsion _is_ genuine, and he feels certain that he can stretch the truth enough to suggest he's currently feeling the compulsion to label his surroundings.

But what if Terry doesn't buy that?

He imagines the man grabbing the labeler and throwing it out the window or crushing it underfoot. Laying his head back, he wracks his brain trying to think of some way to utilize the labeler. Perhaps if he can get into the back of the van again? At the very least, he would be concealed from Terry's eyes and could retrieve the labeler from his hat. He could plan the act of making the labels after that.

Taking a deep breath, he speaks; "May I sit in the back?" Terry glances at him suspiciously, so Edd decides he should elaborate. "I still feel slightly ill…I would very much like to lie down."

Terry scoffs, his eyes returning to the road for a moment; "If you wanna lay down so damn bad, why don't you lay your pretty little head in my lap?"

A shiver runs down Edd's spine as his eyes drift down towards the man's lap for just a moment. He feels another bout of sickness wash over him at the very idea.

"I would like lie down on a mattress," Edd replies through his teeth.

Terry looks to be thinking it over.

"Now, why would I want you sitting back there?" he sneers, "I wanna be able to look at you…"

"Please," Edd whines a bit, feeling more desperate.

He realizes too late that that may have been a mistake. Terry glares at him.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were hidin' somethin' from me, Princess," he growls.

Edd hunches his shoulders.

"M-Me?" he stutters, "Never! I…I just really…_r-really_ wish to lie down."

Terry huffs; "I don't think so. You seem fine to me."

With a sigh, Edd slouches against the door again. There goes that plan…With little else to do, Edd watches the clock. It's just after noon. He's no idea how long they've been traveling, having not seen a clock prior to their travels, but he assumes it had been at least two hours since they left the park. In the meantime, he tries to think of short messages to leave for Ed and Eddy.

After about forty-five minutes, Terry turns off of the main road again. Edd scrutinizes their path some, trying to map it in his mind as they near what he assumes is their destination. Instead, the man pulls off into another small clearing. Edd pales as the vehicle comes to a stop and Terry retrieves the camera again.

"Again?!" the boy gawks, drawing Terry's attention to him.

"Yes, Princess, again," the man retorts, grabbing Edd's arm and dragging the boy towards him, "Maybe if you cooperate this time we can be quick."

Edd groans in displeasure as Terry drags him out of the vehicle and to a large tree. The boy is grateful to note that there are no low-hanging branches here, but wonders what other horrors the man will have him endure. He's pushed up against the tree.

"Hold still, sweetheart," Terry demands before turning away to look over the camera.

Edd seizes this rare opportunity. Reaching up, he pulls the labeler out from under his hat. He tries to hide the device, but is halted by Terry's hand grabbing his wrist.

"And what do we have here?" the man speaks in a low, threatening tone.

The boy falters, unable to come up with a proper excuse as the labeler is snatched from his hands. Terry looks over it carefully before his eyes settle back on Edd.

He chuckles; "And here I was giving you credit for being the smart one of Pipsqueak's little brigade…" He cups Edd's chin and leans down. "And what did you think you were going to do with _this_, sweetheart?"

"N-Nothing," Edd stumbles over his words as he fights to offer an explanation, "I-I have a…a compulsion. A-A need to l-label things."

Terry studies him carefully, searching his eyes for deceit. His laughter is draining Edd of his little optimism.

"Let me guess," he chuckles, "You thought you could leave a little message for your boyfriend with this, hmm?"

Edd bows his head. There's no use in speaking anymore. He curses his own desperation. In his haste, he had allowed Terry to find his only remaining method of contacting his friends. The sound of the labeler's clicking snaps Edd out of his wallowing and he directs his attention to Terry, watching the man create a new label. It's short and once the label is created, Terry pockets the labeler, much to Edd's dismay. With a grin, he holds the label up. Edd backs into the tree fearfully, shutting his eyes tight as the label is placed onto his hat, just above his eyes.

He keeps his eyes shut as Terry steps back and snaps a couple of pictures. When the man is satisfied, the boy is dragged back to the van. Edd is thankful there was no more fondling during this detour. After he's placed into the passenger seat again and locked inside, curiosity takes him. He dares not remove the label — for fear of angering the man — and instead peers into the rearview mirror outside the window. Four white letters are all that can be read on the blue strip.

_Mine_

Edd shivers. Terry had informed him that the photos were for Eddy. He cringes as he thinks about what Eddy would say if he were to see these pictures. He decides after a moment that he doesn't want to consider it.

For the next few hours, Terry makes two more stops. Like the first, there is a bit of fondling, but not nearly as much. The man tells Edd that he needs the boy to make some cute faces for Eddy and had determined that the only way to do so is to make the kid blush and squirm.

Finally, around 3:30, they enter a dense gathering of trees. Edd shivers and edges away from the windows uncomfortably as they travel deep into the wooded area. This isn't like the other stops. Wherever they were going, Edd feels certain they would not be leaving any time soon. The terrain is much rougher here and Edd clings to the door handle in an effort to find stability.

They pull up to a dingy-looking trailer and come to a slow stop. Terry shuts the van off and removes the keys, pocketing them. This really is their destination. The man steps out of the van and walks around to the passenger side. Edd is hesitant to exit the vehicle. This place makes him uncomfortable. When Edd doesn't step out after Terry opens the door, the man grabs his arm, pulling him from the van.

Edd stumbles along after him as Terry approaches the door to the trailer. The boy takes a moment to study it. It's a bright purple, but the coloring is faded from weathering and age. Edd guesses the mobile home is a couple of decades old. He doesn't have much time to look over the dwelling, however, as Terry unlocks the door and pulls him inside. They enter through the kitchen and Edd is shoved forward, into the table. As the boy recovers, Terry shuts the door and locks it with the key and a special lock at the top of the door frame, which Edd realizes as he looks at it, that he would not be able to reach.

With a sigh, Edd returns his attention to Terry, who is walking over to the refrigerator, opening the door with a grin. Inside, Edd can see that there isn't much food within and the most it has are a few cases of beer. He begins to wonder how often Terry would come to this place if the refrigerator is always stocked with alcohol. There are a few food items there as well. Edd catches glimpses of a few of them; slices of American cheese, eggs, milk, water, and deli meats. His stomach growls, reminding Edd that he hadn't eaten for a full day. Terry seems to hear it and chuckles.

"Hungry, sweetheart?" he chortles, "Well, you've been a pretty good boy during our little ride. Maybe I can be…persuaded to fix you somethin' to eat."

Edd hardly notices the suggestive tone as he brings his still shackled hands to his chest. Terry notices this and stands straight again, beer in hand.

"Guess I can get those off first," he grumbles as he retrieves the key for the handcuffs.

The boy's eyes are locked on the beer that Terry places on the table. Why did this man insist on drinking that vile beverage around him? When his hands are finally free, Edd rubs his sore wrists. The flesh there is still a bit red from when he had hung from the branch, but he finds that it's less painful than it had been.

Terry takes a seat at the table, putting his feet up as he opens the beer with his teeth like he had before. He takes a long swig. Thanks to his little princess, he'd been sober for much too long. The way he sees it, it's about time to fix that. Edd, however, seems to have other plans. The sight of Terry downing that wretched alcohol, combined with his upset over the situation in general lights the fire in Edd.

"I demand you take me back to the park this _instant_!" he shouts.

Terry laughs; "It's a little late for that, Princess. And you should be talking a little nicer to me, don'tcha think?" With a smirk, he lowers his feet to the ground. "Why don't you come over here and sit in my lap? Keep me company?"

Edd starts to see red.

"Enough!" he cries, "I've had just about enough of your lewd suggestions and your alcoholic activities!" Terry merely laughs at his words, infuriating the boy even more. "And I'm sick of you laughing at me like that!"

Without thinking, he smacks the beer from Terry's hand. He recoils from the act when he realizes what he's done. The man had been distracted, drawing Edd to conclude that that is why he'd been able to knock the bottle from the man's large hand. The bottle shatters on the tiled floor and the remaining beer puddles amongst the shards of glass. Terry's face darkens and he turns to Edd with murder in his eyes.

"_That_ is the second beer you've wasted!" he growls as he stands.

He grabs the table with one hand and, in one swift motion, flips it into the wall. Edd quivers in fear, backing away and holding his hands up in defense.

"I-I'm sorry!" he whimpers, "I d-d-don't know what came over me! I d-didn't mean it!"

"What's it gonna take for you to learn that you don't _fucking_ waste my beer?!" Terry roars as he approaches him.

Edd backs up into a corner, clutching his hat. His body is shaking like a leaf as the man bears down on him. Terry observes Edd in his rage. The kid is clinging desperately to that hat and pulling it down harder over his head, stretching it. Curiosity bleeds into his anger and he grabs the front of the boy's shirt, yanking him close. His fingers dig into the fabric of the hat, clutching it tightly into his hand.

"The _fuck_ are you hiding now?!" he demands.

Edd begins to panic; "N-No! Please! Not tha—!"

Before he can finish, the hat is pulled off his head. His black hair falls free, one or two bobby pins falling to the floor. His hair had always been difficult to manage, not excessively long, but fringed at the ends. The bobby pins would keep any of the longer strands in place under the hat. Edds hands came up to hide the real reason he wore the hat. A scar that came down from his hairline. The boy is certain it goes back a bit farther, but he's fortunate to say that his hair hid most of it. Terry grabs Edd's hands and pulls them away so he can see what he's hiding. He grins a bit in sadistic delight at the scar.

"Looks like someone already broke you," he speaks in a low, dark voice, tracing the scarred flesh, "But I'll do my best to make it happen again…"

Edd flinches and tries to pull away from him.

"P-Please!" he begs, "Have mercy!"

Terry grimaces and grabs Edd's wrist, dragging him down the hallway. Edd screams, begging for him to let go. They approach a room, bare with the exception of a poorly made bed. He grabs both of Edd's shoulders after entering the barren room, holding the boy in front of him.

"Maybe a lil time alone will drive the message home that you _do not_ fuck with my beer!" he growls.

With as much force as he has, he throws Edd onto the bed. The boy cries out in pain as his head hits the wall behind the bed hard. He's blinded by the pain for a moment, his eyelids fluttering. After a moment, he slips into unconsciousness.

Terry watches him for a moment before retrieving the camera around his neck. One last picture couldn't hurt; especially with the boy laid out and looking as pretty as he does now. He approaches the bed. Cupping Edd's cheek, he turns the boy's head so that the scar is visible. Oh yes, it will really kill Eddy to see his little girlfriend like this. With a grin, he raises the camera for the final photo. The shutter clicks and the photo is dispensed. He chuckles as he turns back to the door, shaking the developing photo as he exits the room.

This had been his bedroom when he and his parents had still been living here. Where grungy posters once littered the walls, a bland, peeling wallpaper is now affixed. There's a small window over the bed, but it was never possible to open it. The only way in or out of the small room is the door, which Terry is now standing near. He looks back at Edd with a grim fondness as he retrieves one of the many keys he kept on his person. The boy will be out for a while, he imagines.

Just long enough for him to finish his little errand and return for him.

"Sleep tight, my little Princess," he purrs deviously as he closes and locks the door behind him.

**R&R and thank you!**


	4. On The Edd Path

**A Good Edd Is Hard To Find**

**Summary:**

**The Ed's encounter with Bro takes a dark turn as the savage sibling concocts a dangerous game for Eddy and Double D. The race is on for Ed, Eddy and the kids of the cul-de-sac to save Edd from Eddy's brother. Friendships will be questioned. Sanity will be strained. Will the Eds be separated for good?**

**Triggers include Pedophilia, Child Grooming, Child Abuse, Sexual Assualt, Possible Dub-Con, Drunken Behavior, Alcohol Abuse, and Physical and Verbal Abuse. Other warnings include Violence and Language.**

**Pairings include BroEdd and EddyEdd. Subtle Hints at other pairings, but BroEdd and EddyEdd are the main two that will be focused on it.**

**This is being co-written by DuoXKouga and Battygirl.**

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_Author's Notes:_

_DuoXKouga: I had small amounts of input in this chapter. I was too busy doing other stuff (*cough* Fan girling over Raphael...*Cough*) and Battygirl was super content with writing, so I let her do this entire chapter alone! I kinda feel a little sad though cuz I didn't do anything...Oh, well, Chapter 5 is mostly written by me so far..._

_Battygirl: Hey guys! I realize it's been a little while since chapter 3. Uh…this one's kind've on me, actually. I pretty much wrote this chapter beginning to end. DuoXKouga still had input — I still collaborated with her to get an understanding of the chapter because this is our story, not mine — but I pretty much wrote this chapter myself, if only to get something out sooner, since my cowriter is very busy lately. I'm pretty happy with it personally, but, if ya don't like it as much, then, just know it's my bad and I take full responsibility. Also, while I was writing this one, DuoXKouga started on chapter 5, so that one might come out relatively soon…at least compared to the others. Don't quote me on that, though. Life hates us right now and likes to fuck with our writing._

_My gosh, I sincerely apologize for what happened with chapter 3. There was a large chunk that had been removed somehow in the transfer from my computer to DuoXKouga's and a good thousand words were removed. That error has been fixed. I'm not sure what happened, but I suppose this is just one of those things that comes with long-distance collaborations. I apologize for the inconvenience and for the confusion any of you faced reading that chapter. I will do my best in the future to make sure it doesn't happen again._

_That all being said, thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews. We really appreciate everything you guys write to us. Please, don't even hesitate to leave a review. We both love hearing what you think. Your kind words really keep us going and the critiques always help us improve. As long as there are readers out there who want to see this through, then it will be completed; I assure you. Alright, I'm done with my rambling. DuoXKouga, proceed with the chapter!_

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**Chapter 4: On The Edd Path**

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The first thing Eddy chooses to do after Rolf finally manages to wrangle Wilfred is look for anything they can use to track his brother. He and Ed, unfortunately, have little to nothing of Edd's on them. They'd abandoned the cul-de-sac without any of their personal belongings. Therefore, they'd need something of his brother's. After a quick survey of the trailer, they choose one of the man's spare jerseys.

Eddy hasn't spoken much since finding the photo of the trailer, which he pocketed soon after showing it to the others. He had asked the Kankers to take a few bags he'd found in his brother's trailer and find and pack plenty of food and water for the trip, but that was the last incident of him speaking. Kevin finds himself unnerved by it. Any other time, it was hard to get the kid to _stop_ talking. Now he's standing silently, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes cast to the ground. As much of a relief it is to not hear Eddy's grating voice, Kevin starts to miss it. It would at least allow them a moment of normalcy.

Rolf approaches the short boy with Wilfred under his arm. He and Ed have fashioned a makeshift leash out of objects from the trailer. Nothing sordid; mostly socks and shoelaces and the like, though Eddy is sure there are much more disturbing things to be found amongst the mess in the dwelling. Setting Wilfred down on the ground, Rolf permits Ed to man the leash as he turns to Eddy.

"Do you have the object of tracking for Wilfred to detect a scent from?" he asks eagerly.

"English, Stretch," Eddy grumbles, rolling his eyes.

"Right here, dude," Kevin walks up to Rolf and holds up the jersey.

Rolf takes the piece of clothing, muttering a quick 'thank you', before grabbing Wilfred's snout. He holds the shirt to the pig's nose and lets the animal sniff at the material.

"Rolf, c'mon," Eddy groans, "You _really_ think that thing can track my brother down?"

"But of course!" Rolf announces, pounding his chest with his fist proudly, "When Rolf began his journey to hunt down you foolhardy Ed-boys and came across the wreckage of the metal monstrosity in the desert, Rolf used one of Double D Ed-boy's labels for tracking!"

Eddy cocks his brow. He has to admit, it's impressive. The pig had arrived here without Rolf, instead leading Sarah and Jimmy. That must mean that Wilfred is fully capable of tracking when following a scent like that. There had been an instance during their expedition when the three Eds had even traveled over water and had been soaked from a dip in some swamp. The pig had still found them. It relaxes Eddy some.

"We're back!"

They turn their attention to the Kankers, who are approaching them. May and Lee are wearing the backpacks Eddy gave them, and they have some snacks in hand.

"Who's hungry?" Lee asks, holding out a handful of corn dogs.

Ed eagerly grabs a couple of them, bringing one back for Eddy. The shorter boy shrugs and takes a bite. He doesn't taste much, but he attributes that to his own worries.

"Don't eat too much, though," May warns them as Kevin and Rolf gratefully take one each, "We couldn't find a lot."

"Yeah," Marie grumbles, "Lee's mostly got bottles of water and May's got bags of popcorn and pretzels and junk."

Eddy shrugs. As long as they ration what they have, it'd do just fine. After a moment, Wilfred lets out a loud squeal and buries his nose into the ground, following the path that the van had taken out of the park. The kids share a look and follow, Ed clutching the leash in his hands as he gobbles down his corn dog.

"Well it's about time!" Marie groans as she munches on a pretzel, "We wasted, like, a freakin' hour with that bullshit!"

"You're right," Eddy snarls sarcastically, "We should've started chasing after the van right away to get left in the damn dust. I'm sure we woulda found Sockhead in, what, a fuckin' _month_ after that?! Oh, or maybe we would've _starved_ to death first?"

Marie returns his glare; "At least we woulda gotten a better start! Who knows where that jerk took my Double D!"

Eddy grits his teeth. _He ain't_ your _Double D!_ he wants to spit back. He knows that's futile, though. It would only spark an unnecessary argument. As much as Eddy wants to yell and scream and make the Kankers understand just what they do to the boys they constantly push their affections onto, he also knows there's not enough time to do so. In a way, Marie is right. They wasted too much time at the park. They need to get moving.

For roughly half an hour, Eddy guesses, they follow the tracks in the dirt. After the several mile trek, the tire tracks end at a paved road. Eddy grimaces. There are cars traveling along the road, but not many. Most of the windows are dark, but in some, Eddy can see that their group is receiving strange looks. He's not surprised by that. They look pretty odd. Four boys who are covered in cuts, bruises and a thick layer of dirt, three girls who look like they want to murder someone and a pig on a leash.

It also doesn't surprise Eddy in the least that not one person stops to ask if they're okay.

His attention returns to Wilfred as the pig walks along the side of the road, nose pressed into the ground. They follow wordlessly. For a long time, none of them talk. May will sometimes try to start a game to pass the time. No one ever joins in. They appreciate her efforts, but no one is in a gaming mood. They follow the stretch of road for several miles more. Time is dragging on. Eddy considers asking if any of them know the time.

He says nothing. It would only be a grim reminder that they have a time limit.

Suddenly, Wilfred comes to a stop. He sniffs at the ground, but lifts his snout. They quickly see why. On the ground, in shatters, lies the remains of a nearly opaque bottle. There's liquid puddled around it and staining the asphalt. Rolf stoops down to investigate. He dips his fingers into what little liquid is puddled there and brings it up to his nose to sniff it himself. Almost immediately, he jerks back in disgust.

"What _is_ this foul concoction?!" he demands.

Eddy grabs his hand to try to discern the smell. He shares Rolf disgusted reaction.

"Ugh! It's booze," he grumbles, "I smell it on my dad a lot when he's home. And my brother's trailer _reeked_ of it…"

"What's it doing on the ground like that?" Kevin asks, confused.

Eddy shrugs; "Hell if I know…"

Carefully, he picks through the pieces of glass. It's not long before he finds a label. It's easy to recognize.

"This looks like the label that's on all the bottles in my bro's trailer…" he notes, more to himself than to the others.

"Do you think your brother was drinking this?" Lee asks.

"Maybe," Eddy rubs the back of his neck, still muttering as if to himself, "But if I know Terry, he wouldn't just throw one of these out…"

"Terry?" May echoes, confused.

Eddy ignores her as he thinks all of this over; "Looks like this just happened a little while ago. It's definitely my brother's beer — I saw cases of it all over the trailer. And, if I know Double D, he probably threw it out if he saw Bro drinking it…Which probably didn't end well for him…"

Ed gasps; "Is Double D okay?!"

"Take it easy, Lumpy," Eddy sighs and scratches his head some, "I'm sure Double D's okay. My brother's going to all the trouble of taking him from us, I don't think he'd do anything too bad to him…" he turns to Rolf, "Either way, it looks like the pig really _can_ track…Think it can keep going?"

"Of course!" Rolf assures him, "_Wilfred!_ Let us continue!"

The pig lets out a loud squeal before continuing its waddling along the side of the road. Patting Ed's back, Eddy urges him to move on. The shorter boy's mind races as they walk along. He worries what his brother may have done to Edd. It never took much to push Terry until he snapped. He worries what the man may have done to his friend if the boy had indeed angered him as he believes. He glances at Ed. His taller companion is just as worried and is wearing it on his sleeves. The long face is contorted in a pout, monobrow furrowed and eyes big and threatening to produce an endless stream of tears. Even when he and Edd had had their big fight and Ed had tried to intervene, Eddy hadn't seen him so distraught. It was unnerving to see.

He has to remain hopeful, if only for Ed's sake.

_**—**_

They walk for ages. Minutes pass slowly into hours as they walk aimlessly. After some time, they slow to a stop. Wilfred slumps to the ground in exhaustion. Ed follows shortly after. Eddy looks over their group. Everyone looks miserable. Stopping to rest shouldn't take too long. They can catch their breath, refuel, and be off again.

"Alright, guys," he pants, "Let's take a break."

Looking around, they spot some trees close to the road. With the help of the Kankers, they're able to carry Ed and Wilfred into the shade. Taking a seat, the girls remove their packs. Lee passes out bottles of water, which the group drinks gratefully. Rolf offers Wilfred some of the snacks that May and Marie retrieve for them and a drink from the bottle of water, which the pig enjoys greedily. Ed takes his food and water and practically inhales them. Eddy watches him as he drinks lazily from his own bottle. He thinks about telling him to slow down, but realizes the futility in such an effort. As for himself, he only accepts a small snack and nibbles at it here and there. His appetite is about gone at the moment. Marie eats angrily, her eyes cast to the ground in a glare. Lee and May seem most content as they eat, glad for the rest and the shade. Kevin looks thoughtful as he enjoys his meager meal. He glances to Rolf.

"Hey, dude, you know a lot about survival stuff, right?" he asks.

The foreigner glances to him curiously; "Rolf is versed well in the ways of nature, Kevin, if that is what you're asking?"

"Yeah, well…" Kevin shrugs uncomfortably, "Can you use the sun or whatever to figure out what time it is?"

Kevin spots Eddy raising his head slightly, eyes on Rolf. Raising his eyes to the sky and squinting in the light, Rolf thinks carefully.

"Judging by the position of the sun," the dark haired boy replies, thinking carefully, "Rolf estimates the time to be around noon."

Kevin looks surprised by that. Is it _really_ noon already? He removes his hat and runs his fingers over his short hair and long bangs. Uneasily, he glances back to Eddy. The boy looks close to panicking. Lee notices it too.

"Hey, Eddy," she begins uncertainly, "Is there anything you can tell us about your brother? Somethin' we can use to track him down?"

Eddy shakes his head; "All I have are stories that I either made up or that he told me…and he probably made _those_ up too…" He rubs his head, licking his lips. "He left when I was still in diapers. What little I _do_ remember is mostly about our scams. And mom and dad never liked talking about him…"

"Then how the heck did you find him at the amusement park?" Kevin asks suspiciously.

Hurt flashes across Eddy's downcast eyes.

"Double D…" he mumbles, "He followed fake clues I gave him…Some of it was dumb luck, but…but it was mostly Double D…"

The group is taken aback by this before sadness returns. If Edd had been their key to finding the man before, what hope did this group have now without his deductive reasoning? Eddy sighs and takes fistfuls of his hair into his shaking hands. Half of the day had already come and gone and he worries that they're no closer than when they had started. Jumping to his feet, he starts to walk around, anxiety gripping him and compelling him to just…_move_.

"Dude, where are you going?!" Kevin demands.

"I'm not leaving," Eddy assures him his chest heaving, "I just…I-I need to…"

Lee watches him carefully before scoffing.

"Go take a walk, shorty," she commands almost gently, "If you ain't gonna eat, you may as well try to cool off or somethin'." She raises her head. Though he can't see them, Eddy assumes she's brought her eyes up to meet his. "We'll try to be quick. Then we'll get back to walkin'."

Nodding, Eddy turns away from them and starts wandering. Ed watches him with a pout. Eddy isn't acting like himself.

As the shorter boy walks, he tries to assess his situation. His feet are aching, but all he wants to do is walk. It's an aimless feeling. They've no heading to go by and, without Edd's intelligence backing them up, they can't decipher the half-truths Eddy knows about his brother. He considers allowing the Kankers to make the attempt. When the girls would put their heads together, they would prove themselves very resourceful. He strikes that from his thoughts. The girls are also reckless. He doubts they will think carefully before acting. That's not what they need now.

He sighs and comes to a stop just before their shady spot ends. Numbly, he stares over the virtually barren wasteland around him. If he squints, he can spot two or three billboards dotting the landscape in the distance. Cars continue to roll past them. A few slow some, but never stop. Eddy wants to flag them down, to beg and plead for a ride; for _help_. His brother's words keep him frozen in place.

_No cops, no folks, no one but you and those anklebiters behind you…_

He wonders for a moment if that meant he _could_ ask some random stranger for help, but realizes that, even if it did, the person he chose to ask may try to get the police involved. Eddy wants so bad to just _do_ that, but he fears Edd's safety if he did. He's floored by the unfairness of their situation. His brother had his van — a vehicle that will get him far from the park and fast — and he _knows_ where he's going. Ed, Eddy and the others had their feet and only an ancient photo to go by. Looking back at the cars, Eddy again considers the option to ask for a ride. His brother never truly forbade _that_. They wouldn't even have to reveal _why_ they are traveling alone like this either, right? He shakes his head. No. That'd never work. The people would wonder where their parents are. Seven kids wandering around unsupervised? It would certainly be enough to alert the authorities.

Acknowledging that he's thinking in circles, Eddy turns back to the group. He's glad they're here. The task ahead of them is so large and nearly impossible. But, as he looks at them, he feels a small swell of optimism. Even the Kankers, who had been the bane of the Eds' existence, are a welcome presence in this dark hour. He sees them gathering up the leftover food and returning it to the packs. The water is packed up as well. Ed is waving him over.

Time to go.

—

"And then we came shooting out of the pipe and into this nasty swamp!" Kevin laughs.

Eddy rolls his eyes, trying to fight the grin that's creeping up on his face as Ed bursts into a fit of laughter. Rolf and the girls are laughing as well as Kevin recounts the events he and Nazz underwent to hunt down the Eds. Despite the subject matter, Eddy finds it humorous. After their lunch, the group decided telling stories would be a good way to keep up their morale, or, at the very least, pass the time.

"Oh ho!" Rolf claps his friend on the back, boasting a hearty laugh, "Casanova Kevin-boy's troubles with Go-Go Nazz-girl are nothing compared to the trials overcome by the son of a shepherd!"

"Oh yeah?" Kevin grins, realizing the gruffer boy had taken his story as a challenge, "And what was so bad about _your_ trip?"

"Rolf endured many tribulations in his efforts to hunt down the Good-for-Nothing Ed-Boys," comes the enthusiastic reply, "Wilfred attacked Rolf in a blind fury before running away."

"Oh, so _that's_ why the pig showed up with the twerps?" May notes with a giggle, "He musta found 'em before _we_ could."

"_Rolf is telling the story!_" Rolf glares in her direction. It silences further speech, but she continues to giggle over the stories. "Now, where was I…? Ah yes! Wilfred abandoned Rolf and left Rolf's head stuck in a meat grinder."

"A what?!" Kevin gawks, "Dude, how are you…_alive_?"

Rolf chortles; "It will take more than a weak grinder to put an end to the son of a shepherd!"

Eddy laughs under his breath; "I guess so…"

"You doubt Rolf's strength?!" Rolf asks, turning to Eddy, "Poppycock! Rolf _is_, after all, the proud owner of the Hairy Chest of Resilience Badge. Or do you forget our contest, No-Neck Ed-boy?"

Eddy rolls his eyes; "Not gonna lie, Rolfy-boy, I can't remember a lot from that day…"

"I can!" Ed raises his hand excitedly, "Rolf and Eddy did lots of cool stunts all day! Then Rolf won and got that cool badge while Double D played nurse with Eddy!"

The group snickers some as Eddy shoots the taller Ed a smug grin. His mood has improved slightly with their talk — even his appetite is starting to come back. He munches absentmindedly from a bag of popcorn as they walk, sharing with the others when asked. Eddy hadn't thought about that day much, but Ed was right. Edd had been by his side that whole day, bandaging his wounds, drying his tears, and nursing him back to health. Kevin wipes away a tear that had escaped his eye from laughter and looks to Eddy.

"So what happened with you guys?" he asks, his laughter slowing, "Any crazy stories on your end?"

"Well…" Eddy grins, shaking off the bad feelings as he thinks of where to start.

A horn, however, silences him. They turn as a car comes to a slow stop beside them on the shoulder. They regard the driver warily as the window rolls down. It's an older woman, probably in her mid-thirties. She's looking at them with worried eyes.

"Are you kids alright?" she asks, brow furrowed as she looks between them.

Eddy hesitates, looking around at his friends. They have to be careful about this. He glances at Ed.

"Ed, if you care about finding Double D, you'll leave this to me," Eddy warns him in a hushed tone.

The taller boy's eyes go wide and he nods, covering his mouth to prevent himself from speaking. Taking a calming breath, Eddy approaches the window with a charismatic grin.

"Uh, yeah," he answers, "We're just, uh…walkin' home from the park. Just left Mondo A-Go-Go."

"That _filthy_ place?" the woman guffaws, "I wasn't aware it was still in business."

"I know, right?" Eddy forces a laugh, "That's why we're on our way home. Place sucked pretty bad."

"Where are your parents?" the woman demands, "Do they know you're out here alone?"

Eddy hesitates only a moment; "Uh…yeah. Sure they do. We don't live too much farther down the road. They figured since we're in a big group, we'd be okay."

"What?!" the woman is shocked, "That's awful! You're just children!"

"Listen, lady," Marie steps forward, pointing an accusing finger at the woman, "We ain't babies! We can handle things just fine on our own!"

The woman bristles, taking offense to Marie's words. Eddy looks between them anxiously before gently nudging Marie out of the way.

"Uh, d-don't mind her," he stutters, "She's just a little cranky. That park was a pretty big downer, ya know? Say, ma'am, you uh…You wouldn't happen to have the time, would ya?"

The woman looks taken aback, but checks the clock on her radio display.

"Er…Yes," she squints a bit, as though lost in thought, "it's about 2:36…"

Eddy's eyes widen only a little before he calms himself again. He forces a smile.

"Aw man, that late already?" he chuckles, brushing his hair back, "We better get goin' if we wanna make it home before dark."

"Do you kids need a ride?" the woman offers, rooting through her purse, "I have a cell phone — I could call your parents to come pick you up."

"No!" Eddy corrects himself and tries to wave it off. He does his best to keep his cool, "Don't worry about it. We'll make it home soon enough. Thanks though."

He flashes her a sweet, reassuring smile. She returns it, though with a bit of reservation.

"Okay, then…" she gives them all another once-over before returning her gaze to Eddy, "You kids be safe, okay?"

Eddy gives her his most charming smile before backing away from the door again. She waves at them sweetly before pulling away again. When she's out of their sights, Eddy heaves a sigh and wipes his forehead.

"Dude, you're pretty good at that…" Kevin notes.

"Eddy's the _man_!" Ed cheers.

The shorter boy shrugs; "If there's one thing I'm glad to have learned from my brother, it's how to sweet talk…"

"But what if she calls the cops or something?" May asks, concerned.

"I don't think we need to worry about that," Lee scoffs.

Kevin cocks his brow, "What do you mean?"

"Nobody else on this road's even bothered to stop to check on us," Lee notes, "That lady was one in a million. And not in the good way."

Marie nods in agreement; "She'll probably wonder if we made it home okay, but she stopped to check on us so she'll probably think that's enough effort."

"She's right," Eddy confirms, "My brother told me that's how people work. They'll do as little as they can most of the time — just enough to feel like they've done _something_ to help — but, really, they don't do shit."

"Well, now that that little problem has passed," Kevin shoves his hands in his pockets, "We better get a move on…"

With that, they allow Wilfred to continue waddling along and follow.

—

Hours pass. They stop frequently for breaks at least once an hour. They'll stop, rest their feet, then it's back to walking. The group is much more talkative than before, reminiscing and trying to keep their spirits up. It doesn't last too long, though. As the hours pass, so too does their morale. Their talking ceases as they feel themselves becoming more and more irritated. Finally, they near a long stretch of clustered trees. The pig slows. Wilfred circles the ground a few times. He looks around, makes a few grunting noises and goes back to circling. He seems confused. Eddy feels his eye twitching.

"What the hell is it doing now, Rolf?!" he demands.

"Rolf is just as confused as you, ill-tempered Ed-boy," the foreign boy replies, scratching the back of his head.

"It's _supposed_ to be finding Terry!" Eddy shouts impatiently, "Why isn't it doing _that_?!"

"Terry?" Rolf echoes, "Is it not Eddy's Brother we are searching for?"

Eddy groans in frustration and smacks his own forehead; "Terry _is_ my brother, you idiot!"

"Chill man!" Kevin steps forward to defend his friend, "It ain't like you ever actually _told_ us that's his name before now!"

Eddy whips around to face Kevin; "Who the fuck _else_ could I have meant?!"

"Enough of your squabbling!" Rolf cries, stepping between them, "We are wasting time! We must find our heading!"

"And what're _you_ doing to help?!" Eddy rages, "What are _any_ of you doing to help?!"

"Stop it, guys!" Ed cries, "No more fighting!"

"I don't see _you_ doing any more!" Marie shrieks, pointing an accusing finger at Eddy, "You're the one who let him get away with my sweetheart in the first place!"

Ed feels the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. The fury radiating off of his shorter companion is deeply unsettling. He turns to Eddy, eyes wide, as the boy shakes in pure rage. Lee and May see it too. They grab Marie and pull her back from the confrontation. Cautiously, Ed approaches Eddy. The boy looks like he's about to explode. Lee tries to diffuse the situation.

"Look," she begins carefully, "It's been a long day of nothin' but walking. We're all just tired…We need to take a breather here."

Eddy doesn't seem to be listening to her. His face is red, his teeth: grinding. His hands are clenched into tight fists and he's shaking. Carefully Ed tries to pull Eddy into a hug. Eddy smacks him away.

"Don't touch me, Ed!" he snaps. There are tears in his voice.

"But Eddy!" Ed whines, "The Evil Darkside will swallow you up!"

"I'm fine, Ed!" Eddy cries back, storming away, "Leave me alone!"

"Where do you think you're going, Dorky?!" Kevin yells, "We're trying to find Double D, remember?!"

Eddy ignores him, stomping off past a number of trees. There's a lump in his throat. Even if he could have answered Kevin, he doesn't want to. Tears are stinging the corners of his eyes. He rubs his knuckles into his eyes so hard it hurts to make the tears stop. The great mood he'd finally found himself in is now gone completely. He's beginning to feel helpless. They'd been at this all day and hadn't found hide nor hair of his brother or Edd. He's beginning to fear the worst and is realizing that this may be hopeless. But did that bitch _really_ have to bring that up?! Of _course_ he knows this mess is his fault. She doesn't have to keep opening the wound.

He grunts as he runs face-first into one of the thicker trees. Glaring through his teary eyes, he starts hitting and kicking the tree with his fists and feet. He wants to tear it out of the ground and alleviate his pain and anger. The tree doesn't budge. His strikes leave no damage to the bark.

Eddy deflates, his anger ebbing some in defeat. He bows his head and leans his forehead against the tree. His nails dig into the bark of the tree as he keeps fighting the tears. There's been enough crying from him today. He sees Edd's face in his mind. His smile, broken by the gap in his teeth. His bright, green eyes that would shine with excitement at the prospect of a new invention or scam. He hears his voice echoing in his thoughts. His giggly laugh, his scientific ramblings, his nagging over hygiene. Even the things about Edd that had often annoyed him are suddenly so endearing in his memory.

Deep breaths. One…two…

His eyes open to the ground below him as he calms. Vaguely, he hears footsteps and grunting approaching him. Voices.

"…somewhere around here, I think," he's able to catch the end of a gruff, but feminine voice noting aloud. Lee.

"What's his _deal_ man?!" comes the angry complaint from Kevin's scratchy voice.

"Like I said," Lee's voice grumbles back, "It's been a long day. My man's just worn out and cranky."

Eddy heaves a sigh and turns his head in their direction, keeping his eyes lowered to the ground. He stops. Set faintly into the dirt, he can just make out the vague silhouette of a footprint. As his eyes raise, he can see more walking away from his oncoming comrades. Apprehension grips him like a vice. He tries to write the tracks off as nothing. Surely they're the remnant of some passerby that happened to walk through this way. Curiosity takes him. He starts following the tracks. The others spot him and attempt to flag him down.

"Ed-boy!" Rolf is yelling after him, "Return to the group so we may continue the hunt!"

Eddy ignores him. His feet are moving on their own and picking up their pace. He feels compelled to follow this trail. In his head, he's skeptical. The footprints look as though they could belong to his brother, but he knows it's just as possible, if not more so, that they don't. So much is telling him _no_. But something inside him, something instinctual, is screaming _yes_.

That voice is louder.

The footprints end at a tall tree. Eddy has to crane his neck to even catch a peek of the top. His breath comes out heavily, the running and his own frayed nerves having winded him. His eyes dart around him. As farfetched as the idea is, he feels so confident that his instincts are correct; that he'll find something here. Sure the tracks could have been made by some random person. But who else would be out here in this place? Who would just leave the main road for no foreseeable reason?

He wanders around the tree some. The footsteps do the same. He stops when they do. His eyes follow them as they turn from the tree and move away. Confused, he looks to the tree. What was this person doing and why were they so interested in this spot? His eyes widen and his body freezes. After a moment, his shoulders slump. The others are hot on his trail, willing Wilfred to move faster as they chase after him.

He leans up on the tips of his toes, resting one hand on the tree for balance. With his other hand, he retrieves the object that's sticking to the tree. It's a photo taken with a Polaroid camera. When he has the photo in his grasp, he sinks back down and brings the other hand up to join the one holding the picture. His eyes are glued to the image. His brother had _definitely_ been here.

He stares down at Edd's face. His friend is scared, but seems to be clinging to his anger. Eddy sees instantly why. His brother had been cruel enough to put handcuffs on the boy and hang him by his wrists from a branch. Looking at his friend's wrists, he cringes. They're red from the metal pressing hard against the soft skin. There are bruises all over Edd's arms. He can see hints of bruising on Edd's face and around his neck. The one that his eyes remain on longest is there on Edd's neck as well. It's more red than the other bruises, which are more purple. Bruises like that aren't made by being hit. A bruise like that is made by sucking on the skin. He starts to see red.

There's no way Edd could have done that to himself…

"Eddy?" he blinks a couple of times as Ed's voice distracts him.

He looks up at the group, they're staring at his hands. They can't see what he's looking at, only that he's holding something. Ed approaches him first.

"What'd you find, Eddy?" he asks curiously.

Before Eddy can stop him, Ed sees the photo. It's snatched from his hands. Ed holds it close to his face, on the verge of panicking.

"What's he done to our Double D?!" Ed cries, "He looks so hurt, Eddy!"

Eddy groans and turns to him; "Ed, don't do tha—"

He stops as he spots the back of the photo. There's writing there.

"Gimme that!" he demands, snatching the picture from the taller Ed. His eyes dart over the words.

_Caught the scent, have you, Pipsqueak? Here's a lil reward for you, then. Keep it up and they'll get better and better. Good luck._

_— Bro_

_Oh and by the way, you shoulda told me your little girlfriend could give such good head._

Eddy's eyes are locked on the words. He's not sure how to process this. He understands what his brother meant by the added message beneath his signature. A whirlwind of feelings accost him. Anger, horror, worry…hurt. To think that his brother would do…_that_ to his friend. Everything feels muted. Sounds. Sight. Touch. He feels numb.

Ed looks between Eddy and the photo in worry; "What's it say, Eddy?"

Eddy blinks a couple of times to bring himself from his trance. He looks around at the others for a moment. His eyes settle on Ed and he shakes his head to wake himself fully. Licking his thumb, he drags it and his nail over the last line of the message. He knows Ed won't understand its meaning, but he doesn't want to explain it to him when the taller boy asks.

"Are you gonna show us what you found or not?!" Marie demands, snatching the photo from him. Anger flares up inside of her upon seeing the image. "Who the heck does he think he is?!"

"Yeah!" Lee agrees, looking over her shoulder, "We're the only ones who can hang our boyfriends up like that!"

"Lemme see that!" Kevin snatches the picture from him, "Jeez, man! Your brother's fuckin' _sick_!"

Rolf looks over his shoulder; "Why is Double D Ed-boy strung up like a slab of freshly cut meat?"

"Alright, enough!" Eddy roars, snatching the picture away from them, "Look, according to this, we're going the right way!" He points behind him to where the tracks retreat. "I found his footprints that led to where this was hanging, and if your fuckin' pig follows them or whatever, maybe we can get back on track."

Rolf looks back and forth between Wilfred and Eddy before nodding in affirmation.

"Give Rolf the photo so Wilfred can get a stronger scent," he demands gently, holding his hand out.

Reluctantly, Eddy hands the photo to Rolf. The foreigner holds it to Wilfred's snout and allows the pig to sniff at the Polaroid. When done, he hands the picture back to Eddy, who looks at it with a sad fondness before placing it into his pocket. With a sigh, he turns in the directions the footprints lead.

"Let's get going."

—

It's hours before they find another clue. The sun is hanging pretty low in the sky, limiting their light. Rolf, luckily, is able to create a torch, which he uses to light the way. After finding the first photo and following Terry's footprints, they come across more tire tracks. Unfortunately, the man didn't remain on the dirt path for long, as the tracks soon lead back to the paved road. However, Wilfred still has the scent and the change of terrain the vehicle traveled on doesn't deter him.

As the sun begins to set, they come across a car resting, abandoned, in a ditch. Wilfred approaches it, sniffing around the tires. Curiously, Eddy looks into the car. He scans the interior and gasps softly. On the passenger seat is another Polaroid. Running around the car, he finds that the passenger window has been broken in. He tries the door handle. Unlocked. He sighs in relief; he wasn't looking forward to reaching through the broken window to open this door. Being careful of the broken glass, he retrieves the Polaroid. He backs out of the car, tripping over a rock and landing roughly on his backside.

Rolf rushes to his side; "Are you injured, Head-and-Neck-is-One Ed-boy?"

Eddy glances at him and grabs the hand holding the torch, holding it over the photo. He's glad to see that Edd isn't hanging from anything this time. The photo itself was taken much closer to the boy, showing him only from his chest up. From what Eddy can see, the boy is against a tree, cowering. For a moment, Eddy worries why that is. Edd's cowering may mean that his brother was getting violent with him. Upon closer examination, though, worry fades to anger. In the dim light, he can just make out a blue strip on Edd's hat. It's one of his friend's labels. He curses under his breath. His brother had found Edd's label maker.

"Double D looks so scared!" he hears Ed boom to his right.

The boy is standing behind him, looking over his shoulder at the photo. He reaches to take it. Eddy holds the photo at bay.

"No, Ed," he nearly whimpers.

Despite his efforts, the picture is taken from his hands by Marie. She grimaces.

"The fuck is this shit?!" she cries, "_Mine_?! Like hell he is! Double D is _my_ boyfriend! That fucker can't just claim him when I already have!"

Eddy shoots her a hateful glare and grabs the Polaroid back from her. Flipping the photo over, he looks for a message. Indeed, Terry had written something there. Squinting he can just make out the words.

_Tick Tock, Pipsqueak. Time's running fast. Better pick up the pace if you ever wanna see your lil girlfriend outside of a picture again._

_— Bro_

Eddy growls a bit. Now the man is mocking him. He looks to the sky which is fading quickly to black. He glances around him. The others have gathered around, waiting for Eddy to suggest their next course of action. The boy sighs and looks down the road.

"Let's try to walk as far as we can…" he suggests, "Maybe look for a safer place to rest for the night…"

* * *

Rate and Review...Flames will be used for smores!


	5. Make Him An Edd He Can't Refuse

**A Good Edd Is Hard To Find**

**Summary:**

**The Ed's encounter with Bro takes a dark turn as the savage sibling concocts a dangerous game for Eddy and Double D. The race is on for Ed, Eddy and the kids of the cul-de-sac to save Edd from Eddy's brother. Friendships will be questioned. Sanity will be strained. Will the Eds be separated for good?**

**Triggers include Pedophilia, Child Grooming, Child Abuse, Sexual Assualt, Possible Dub-Con, Drunken Behavior, Alcohol Abuse, and Physical and Verbal Abuse. Other warnings include Violence and Language.**

**Pairings include BroEdd and EddyEdd. Subtle Hints at other pairings, but BroEdd and EddyEdd are the main two that will be focused on it.**

**This is being co-written by DuoXKouga and Battygirl.**

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_DuoXKouga: We are very slow at updating. Very stressed about things and we hope to have the next chapter up soon-ish. Hope you guys enjoy it. Once again, we apologize for slow updates lately!_

_Battygirl: Sorry again for the slow updates. Things have been kind've rough lately. We'll see what we can do about getting chapter 6 out quicker…I'll also do what I can to make sure there are no more issues with the chapters. I don't know what keeps happening. I'll keep a close eye on it from now on and hopefully those issues won't pop up anymore. As always, reviews are most welcome._

* * *

**Chapter 5: Make Him An Edd He Can't Refuse**

* * *

Edd groans as a sharp, throbbing pain makes itself known to him as he lays on the bed, trying to gather his scrambled thoughts.

"Eddy…?" he whimpers at the pain in his head as he tries to raise himself into a sitting position.

He fails several times before his shaking arms finally manage to lift his body up. Sitting Indian style, he cradles his head in his hands. His eyes snap open when he feels the absence of his hat. Panic takes him as he looks around desperately for it. Slowly, images appear in his mind as he recalls what happened before he blacked out. He can feel his bottom lip tremble as tears gather in his eyes. _No._ He gives a small sniffle. He must remain strong.

However, staying strong doesn't mean he can deny the unfairness he is facing. He can't believe he had lost his hat to that brute! Curling his body forward, he buries his face into his knees and weeps bitterly. He wants so badly to just go home! Everything about this situation is completely unjustified! He clenches his hands into fists and pounds them into the mattress as he screams.

"Why?!" he wails as he sits up, scrubbing at his eyes as tears cascade down his cheeks. The anger, the sadness, the hurt, the fear…it's all just so overwhelming. "I want to go home! I want my friends!"

Edd sobs for a few minutes, clearly distraught as he curls into himself on the bed. He'd been through so much these past few days. He's hungry, aching all over, and his dearest friend's brother had done the most awful, degrading things to him in the span of a few hours. Bringing his hand up to his neck, he winces; his fingers grazing the mark the man had left there. He whimpers, his sobs dying down to sputtering whimpers.

After a while, he resorts to just lying on the bed in exhaustion. Shivers wrack his body as he resorts to shallow breathing. He grasps at his arms in a desperate attempt to comfort himself. The muffled sound of a door opening and then shutting jolts him from his sorrows. He looks to the door, afraid. Terry had either just walked into the trailer or he was leaving. Judging by the fact that the man hadn't come to silence him when he was screaming to himself, Edd assumes it to be the former.

He does his best to ignore it. After everything that had happened today, he's through dealing with that man. For a moment longer, he keeps listening. He wonders what Terry is up to. The man seems more interested in the kitchen. Edd assumes he must be drinking again. He catches vague sounds. The refrigerator door opening, the clinking of a bottle, the door closing again. Yes, Terry's definitely drinking again. With a sigh, Edd relaxes against the bed.

In his state of meditation, he becomes slowly aware of himself and his surroundings. The room he's in is cold — not so much that he would get sick if not covered properly, but there's a distinct chill in the air that unsettles him some. Despite the emptiness of the room, it's rather filthy. Dust clings to the walls and the floor. The sheets of the bed are musty and could probably do with a wash.

A harsh gasp rips itself from Edd's chest as he looks down at himself. It suddenly occurs to him that he hasn't bathed for a whole day. The night before, he'd been drenched in sweat and muck from a swamp and since then he'd slept in his clothes on more than one occasion. He's absolutely _filthy!_ Anxiety grips him. He feels his body itching terribly. His clothing is contaminated with millions of dead skin cells. _He has to wash!_

He bites his lip, his gaze is pulled to the door. If he wants a bath, he'll have to deal with Terry. He worries about the implications of such an encounter. Previous encounters had proven that the man is not above hitting him or fondling him. Edd questions whether he can handle more of that. Ultimately, he decides it will be worth it if it means a bath. Just imagining the water washing over him is enough to ebb away at some of his anxiety.

Taking a deep breath, he pulls himself up to stand on weary legs. He wobbles some and falls back onto the mattress at first. He's still pretty dazed. After a moment, he tries again. He stumbles to his feet, but he holds himself up this time. He takes struggling steps to the door and slumps against it. His vision is blurring and he whines in pain. Reaching a hand up to the back of his neck, his fingers brush against the large swollen knot there. Sharp pain shoots down his spine, making him cringe and whimper.

Of course he would forget the head injury he received…

He tries the knob first to open the door. Locked. He whimpers a bit. As he'd suspected, the man had locked him in.

Looking up at the door, he forces himself to speak; "Terry?"

His voice sounds pained, even to his own ears. For a moment, there's no response. The sound of something heavy scraping against the linoleum floor in the kitchen startles him some. Footsteps soon echo down the hallway, approaching the door. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he tries again to speak.

"He-hello…?" he calls out fearfully.

He rests his hand against the door, leaning his head against it. The footsteps stop far from the door. Edd almost feels hopeful. His eyes are focused higher on the door, looking where he imagines the man would stand.

"Please…" he begs, "Please, help me…I…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry, Terry…"

No answer.

He begins to grow desperate; "Please! I've learned my lesson, Terry, I swear!" Tears are stinging his eyes. "I beg of you! Please let me out!"

Silence.

The panic seeps into his veins and his breathing becomes erratic as the need to be clean slowly overwhelms him.

"Terry, _please!_" he cries louder, rapping his knuckles on the door, "Let me out! I desperately need to wash! Please!"

Again, he receives no response, but there's no silence. The footsteps pick up again, but this time they're walking away. He begins to pound on the door with his weak fists.

"No! _No please!_" he sobs, dragging his nails over the wood, "Please, come back! Let me out of here! _Terry!_"

The footsteps disappear into the kitchen and the scraping happens again. Edd assumes it's a chair moving over the floor. The man has taken a seat again. Edd screams and starts hitting the door harder, making the wood shudder with each strike of his fists as his desperation turns to full panic.

"_Please! PLEASE!_" he screams in an almost delirious state as he slams his hands into the door, "I'm sorry! Please! I beg of you! I'll do anything you ask! Just let me wash! Please! Anything you want, I'll do it! Just come back! Please!"

Edd's hands are a bright red and bruising with each strike against the door. Redder and redder they become. It's not much longer before the swollen skin near his palm splits. He yelps, yanking his hand to his chest. His bruised and battered hand has split open from the brutal pounding and is bleeding profusely. Edd screams and sobs for Terry to let him out.

"_Please!_" he bawls, "My hand! I-I need medical attention! Let me out, please! I beg you! Let me shower! Let me treat my hand!"

He shakes there on the floor as the blood from his hand drips down onto his exposed knees making him cringe. There's no answer from the man. No movement to be heard. Hopelessness takes him. The man is actively ignoring him.

"Terry _please!_" he begs pathetically, "Please help me! I _need_ you! Please!"

With every statement, Edd loses more of his crumbling grip on sanity. He's willing to say anything to make the man help him. To prostrate himself before his tormentor and offer him anything he desired. Anything to end his agony and grant him relief. He tries to stabilize himself; to piece his fragile thoughts back together. The itch is getting worse. A bath. He _needs_ to wash!

Reluctantly, Edd resigns himself to the fact that the man isn't going to come, at least not any time soon. That being the case, he realizes that he'll have to deal with his injured hand himself. Turning his head to the bed and then to his hand, he works out a solution in his mind. Stumbling, he approaches the sheets and wraps his bleeding hand up in them. His shirt and pants are stained with blood and there are several drops on the floor. Cradling his aching hand to his chest, Edd lays himself down upon the bed again, sobbing.

He loses himself again to his own whimpering sobs. Several minutes pass by. Edd's crying dwindles away some. He's just lying on the bed, trying not to move to avoid the pain in his head and his hand. In his anguish, he doesn't hear the footsteps return. He doesn't hear the door unlock and open. Doesn't notice Terry entering the room.

The man pushes his way through the door and looks down at the preteen on the bed. The kid's a complete mess. Edd is lying on his side, his hand wrapped heavily in the bed sheet. There's blood on the boy's shirt and shorts, a few flecks of blood on his knees. He frowns slightly before approaching the bed. He takes a seat beside him, gently touching Edd's shoulder to let the teen know of his presence.

Edd flinches, obviously startled and his head snaps to look up at Terry. A mixture of fear, hurt, and hope crosses his face as Terry reaches slowly towards Edd's injured hand. He makes a motion for Edd to give him his hand. The boy hesitates, but after a few seconds lifts his hand and allows Terry to take it.

Carefully, the man unwraps the sheets from the wounded appendage. Terry looks over the cut, gently taking Edd's small, trembling hand into his own once it's free of the bindings so he can get a good look at it.

"Please…" he glances up when he hears the soft, tearful whimper, "Please let me wash…"

He looks at the boy; noting the obvious in how severely distressed Edd is by his injury and state of cleanliness. He lets a small smile slip and reaches out to cup Edd's chin with his free hand.

"Shhh…It'll be alright, Princess," Terry's voice is soft, so caring and gentle. It shocks Edd. The boy stares at him with wide eyes as the man stands from the bed. "Why don't we get you cleaned up and get this cut taken care of?"

Edd's heart leaps for joy when he hears that. He gives a small sob of relief as he allows the man to help him up and walk. Soon, he'll be clean!

He clings to the man's arm as they walk. His vision is less blurry, but it feels as though the ground is rocking beneath him. Terry is stable, however, drawing Edd to realize that it's all him. He's still a bit dizzy from the blow to his head. To avoid looking at the ground, he glances up at the man leading him along.

Everything about this situation seems…wrong. Is this the same person who had threatened him? The same person who had handled him so roughly? Who had hit him and mocked him? Now, those hands which had struck him are holding him up gently, ushering him carefully along. Edd wants so badly to question it, but his mind is clouded by pain and his desperate compulsion.

He's led down the hallway to a bathroom. It's small, but there's enough room for two adults to move around without tripping over themselves. After Edd has walked in, the man closes and locks the door behind them. He has Edd sit on the closed lid of the toilet seat before turning and walking a few steps to the faucet of the bathtub. Carefully, Edd removes his shoes and sets them and his socks aside neatly out of the way. The floor is cold, but soothing to the boy's aching feet and he sighs softly in relief at that.

The water begins running. Edd cranes his neck to see into the tub. He rises to his feet, brow furrowed. He imagines the water against his skin, washing away the grime and the pain. It makes him anxious to start his bath. Standing at the edge of the tub, he watches the water rise slowly.

He doesn't notice Terry behind him, knife in hand. Doesn't notice the man's hand grabbing his shirt and using the blade to cut the orange material off of him. It's only when he feels Terry's hand caress his shoulder as the remnants of his shirt are removed that he notices that his chest is bare. The man had even cut the tie off of his neck as well. He squeaks in shock and whips around to him.

"Wh-What do you think you're doing?!" he cries, covering his chest.

He gasps when he catches sight of the knife that's still in the man's hand.

"Easy, Princess," Terry chuckles, folding the switchblade closed. He sets it behind him on the counter the sink is set into. "That bump on your head would make it hard to take your shirt off, don'tcha think?"

This startles Edd some. He hadn't considered that, but the man has a point. The back of his head is still terribly sore. Pulling the shirt off normally may have been painful. He looks to the ground where the torn shirt and cut tie lay, mourning the loss silently before returning his gaze to the man before him. Terry's watching him carefully. Edd hunches his shoulders a bit, trying to cover himself more than he's able.

"Eh…Th-Thank you," he mumbles, "I-I think I can handle things from…from here…"

Terry's grin spreads some; "I don't think so, sweetheart."

Edd's eyes widen a bit; "What?!"

"You _really_ expect me to leave you alone with that head wound?" the man asks in an innocent tone, "Of course you don't. You may hurt yourself more." He grabs Edd's chin, urging the boy to look at him. "And we can't have that, now can we?"

Edd shivers and tries to back up a little. His legs hit the edge of the bathtub and he starts to fall. He cries out, his eyes shutting tight. Terry is quicker, though, and his arm is around Edd's back, pulling the boy to his chest. Shaking some, Edd clings to the man's shirt, feeling only a sense of gratitude to have been saved from the fall. Terry smirks in triumph as Edd's pleas run through his head.

_I'll do anything you ask!…Anything you want, I'll do it!…I need you!_

He wonders vaguely if he can cash in on that now. Edd is clinging desperately to him. He may very well be able to get the boy to do whatever he asks. After a moment, however, he dismisses it. Not now.

Not just yet…

Pushing Edd away, he forces an irate tone; "You can open your eyes, Princess. You're fine."

Edd looks up at him, blushing shyly, and steps away, careful of the edge of the tub. Terry leans past him and turns off the water, which has reached an appropriate level. The boy looks around for a towel to cover himself with — anything so he doesn't expose himself entirely to the man before stepping into the water. Terry rolls his eyes.

"The hell are you waiting for?" he snaps.

Edd sighs and turns reluctantly towards the tub. He returns his eyes to Terry.

"Please, may I have even the slightest bit of privacy?" he begs, "Can you at least turn away until I'm in the water?"

"I'm sure it's nothing I haven't seen before, sweetheart," Terry grumbles.

Feeling himself starting to panic, Edd glances at the tub again. The water looks so inviting. So warm. His hesitation draws a groan from the man.

"Would you just strip and get in already?" he growls impatiently, "Fuck. Here I am being all generous and shit; letting you take the bath you keep bitching and moaning about and you're not even gonna get in the damn water?!"

He takes a few calming breaths as the boy cowers from him. He grabs Edd's scrawny arm and yanks him close.

"Well, maybe you want to go back to the room instead?" he threatens, "Maybe you need a little more time in solitary to teach you real _fucking_ obedience?"

"No!" Edd whimpers, grabbing at his wrist, "Not there! Not again, please! Don't put me back in that _filthy_ room! I'll do anything! Just don't take me back there!"

Terry fights against the smirk that wants to break out on his face as he lets go of the boy; "Then hurry it up. The water ain't gonna stay warm for long, ya know."

The boy is still hesitant, but finally gives in. Keeping his eyes trained on the water to avoid looking anywhere near the man behind him, Edd quickly, but carefully pulls down his shorts and underwear.

Terry watches him in sadistic pleasure. There are several bruises over the boy's body. Most are over his arms. He can make out the vague shapes of his fingers where he'd grabbed the kid, the rings of bruises around his wrists from the handcuffs, the hickey he'd left on the boy's neck. He strokes his goatee in a vain attempt to stifle his arousal as the boy folds his clothing as neatly as he can before slipping into the water. The sight of the boy's soft skin now slippery with the water doesn't help. He feels himself growing hard in his pants.

As Edd takes a seat, Terry removes his ring and flannel over shirt. The boy pulls his legs up to his chest in an attempt to cover himself before looking around shyly for some soap and shampoo. To distract himself some, Terry reaches into the sink behind him and retrieves an ice pack. Edd's startled to see it and chastises himself for not noticing it before. Terry hands him the pack.

"Hold this against your head," he instructs as the boy takes it, "It should help with the swelling."

Edd nods shyly and holds the pack against the back of his head. He cringes a bit at the pain and the cold, but soon relaxes against the sensation. For a moment, he just sits in the warm water, letting the ice do its work. He's startled from the calm as his other arm is grasped. His injured hand is taken into the man's larger one and he whips his attention to him.

"Wh-What are you doing now?!" he stutters.

"You wanna get clean, don't ya?" Terry asks cocking his brow, a bar of soap in his hand, "If you wait too long for that swelling to go down, the water will get cold. Now hold still."

Grudgingly, Edd allows the man to continue washing him. This feels so degrading. He's not some invalid or insipid child who cannot bathe himself! He turns his head a bit to avoid looking at the man in his shame. Closing his eyes, he rests his forehead on his knees, trying to focus on enjoying his bath. He winces when the man starts cleaning the cut. The soap stings, but he bears with it. Best to get it cleaned out before infection set in, he supposes. The warm water feels good against his skin, as does the soap when it's moved from his cut. He feels the filth from the past couple of days washing away. The pain in the back of his head is even hurting less than before. He can feel the swelling start to go down as well. It feels nice…

At least until the man's hand moves from his arm to his chest. Edd glances at him, shivering some. Terry uses his other hand to support Edd's upper back and to keep him still. Edd pulls his arm back and tries to cover himself even below the water. Terry rolls his eyes.

"Easy, Princess," he coos mockingly.

He leans over Edd some as he washes the boy's torso. His fingers graze the Edd's soft skin as he does so. He bites back a moan, glancing at the boy's blushing face. A grin creeps onto his lips. The temptation is too much…Bringing his hand up Edd's back a bit, he begins rubbing at the base of the boy's neck. The back of his hand brushes against Edd's as he urges the boy closer. Edd's free hand is slapped down onto the edge of the tub, to support himself as he glances at the man.

"T-Terry?" he whimpers questioningly, "P-Please, you're invading my personal spa—"

He's silenced by the man pressing his lips roughly against his own. He's pushed back against the wall behind the bathtub, his hand holding the ice pack trapped behind him. His other hand comes up to grasp helplessly at the man's sleeve. Terry abandons his hold on the soap, letting it drop between the boy's legs as he brings his hand up to cup Edd's cheek. With a moan, his tongue darts out, pushing its way past Edd's lips. The boy cries out in shock, pushing desperately against Terry's shoulder. The man sneaks a glance at him before pulling back again. He watches in twisted pleasure as Edd curls in on himself, trying to back away into a corner.

"Wh-What on earth are you doing?!" he demands. Terry chuckles, drawing the boy to bristle in anger. "Th-This is highly inappropriate! I'm twelve years old!"

He holds his arms over his chest, ignoring the cold of the ice pack as it's pressed against his arm. Retrieving the soap that had fallen into his lap, he holds it against his chest.

"I can finish bathing myself, thank you!" he snaps, "I _insist_ you give me my privacy!"

The boy recoils some as a frightening look flashes in the man's eyes. He watches Terry stand, hands reaching for the hem of his jersey.

"I ain't leaving you alone in here," he informs the boy, removing his shirt, "And if you're going to be this stubborn, maybe I should just join you?"

Cold dread runs down Edd's spine as the man reaches for his pants. With a yelp, Edd shuts his eyes tight, holding the ice pack over his face.

"N-No!" he cries, "Not that! Please!"

Terry grins triumphantly and sits down on the edge of the tub, leaving his shirt off.

"Good," he purrs, "Well, if you wanna finish washing by yourself, go ahead."

Edd whimpers, lowering the ice pack. There's still a bit of swelling in the back of his head, but it had gone down significantly. He feels safe in the belief that he would be able to wash his hair without much pain. Terry holds his hand towards him and the boy shakily hands the ice pack to him. As the man places the pack back into the sink, Edd looks around the edges of the bathtub, finding the shampoo behind him. Trying to avoid the man's eyes on him, he sets the soap back into his lap and grabs the bottle.

Where Terry is sitting beside him, he can feel the man moving some. Turning uneasily, Edd finds that he has grabbed a bowl. He assumes it was sitting in the sink as well. Edd watches him carefully as Terry leans over and scoops up some of the water.

"Tilt your head back, sweetheart," the man instructs.

Closing his eyes, Edd follows the direction before laying his head back. A moment later, he feels the water washing over his head, wetting his hair. Afterwards, the boy brings his head back up and opens his eyes, doing what he can to keep Terry in his sights. He opens the bottle of shampoo and pours a fair amount into his hand. After recapping the bottle and setting it back where he'd found it, he lathers the shampoo in his hands before rubbing it into his hair. He's unsettled by the silence. A question weighs heavily on his mind. Now seems to be a good a time as any to ask…

"Why are you doing this?" he asks, hoping he sounds more confident in his question than he thinks.

Terry eyes him carefully; "You'll have to be more specific, Princess."

Edd feels a hopeless desperation; "_This!_ Kidnapping me, teasing me and Eddy, bathing me…your…your…'lustful'…actions towards me…" He raises his eyes to Terry again. "Why are you doing this to me?"

The man looks away with a grimace. Edd's unsure if that means the man has no answer, or if the answer isn't one he wants to share. Instead of giving him a reply, the man leans over Edd again to scoop up another bowl-full of water.

"Tilt your head back again…" he directs with something of a sigh.

Edd's shoulders slump, but he follows the direction again to allow the man to wash away the suds in his hair. Picking up the soap, he tries to finish cleaning his body. Terry leans against the wall, watching him. He's silent for some time, watching as the boy cleans himself. His eyes drift to the boy's clothes. His lips curl into a grin; he'll have to take care of those…

He glances back to Edd. The boy should be finished soon. The kid's question is still on his mind. Edd had been quiet this whole time. He may as well give him a response.

"To answer…at least some of your question," Terry speaks carefully, "It's because I want to." When Edd gives him a confused glance, he elaborates. "I took you from Pipsqueak because I wanted to. I'm bathing you because I _want_ to." He reaches lazily towards the boy, brushing his fingers over Edd's cheek. "I touch you because I _want_ to." The boy recoils some, whimpering a bit. With a grimace, he grabs a small chunk of Edd's hair, pulling his head back a bit so the boy is looking at him. "I _kissed_ you…" He traces Edd's jaw with his other hand. "_Because I want you._"

Edd raises his hands to push him away, removing his little covering. Terry grins a bit, his eyes drifting over the boy's body for a moment. With a squeak, Edd drops his hands back down over his crotch, looking up at the man with weary eyes. The man chuckles, leaning close to him.

"And I 'tease' you," he purrs, "because it's so damn fun to watch you squirm."

Tears burn at the corners of Edd's eyes as the man lets him go. This is all so…_wrong_. He wants to cry, but, after that statement, he knows doing so will only make things worse. Terry laughs under his breath.

"You 'bout done, sweetheart?" he asks in a mockingly sweet tone.

Holding his arms, Edd nods. He wants out of this bath. In his desperation, he had refused to acknowledge the awful things the man could do to him in this vulnerable position. He had forgotten how the man had touched him before and his words to his friends should they fail the man's cruel test.

_He'll be my girlfriend then._

Edd swallows the lump in his throat. In an effort to distract his frightened thoughts, he glances at the small window in the bathroom. He sees no light coming through; it's dark out. He wonders vaguely how long he had been unconscious.

Terry wraps his arm lazily around the boy's shoulders as he leans over him and pulls the plug, allowing the water to drain. Edd shivers as the man leans back again and grins down at him.

"Time to get out, Princess," he purrs, tilting his chin up and placing a kiss on the boy's cheek.

Edd grimaces and pushes against him. The man gives another sharp laugh as he stands, releasing the boy before moving towards a closet in the room where he keeps the sparse towels. After retrieving one of them, he turns back to Edd. The boy is still sitting in the receding water. Terry rolls his eyes, but forces a grin.

"C'mere, Princess," he demands in a gentle voice, "You'll catch a cold if we don't get you dried off quick."

A pained look passes over Edd's face. As much as he hates it, he knows the man is right. He has to get out of the bathtub and dry off. Terry approaches him with the towel. With a shuddering sigh, Edd forces himself to stand. Using one hand to cover himself, he reaches for the towel, snatching it from the man's hands. He tries his best to ignore the man's gaze as he wraps the towel around his middle. He steps out onto the cold tiles and sits on the edge of the tub to avoid slipping.

Keeping his eyes on the ground, he holds his arms to cover his chest, unsure of what to do next. Obviously, the next logical step would be to dry himself off. However…He glances at Terry as the man stands beside him. As much as he wants to dry off, he doesn't want to expose himself to him again.

"S'matter, sweetheart?" the man chuckles, "Don't you wanna dry off?"

"Please," Edd begs softly, "Can I please have some privacy so I can change?"

Terry smirks; "And what do you think you're going to change into? You don't have any other clothes. And you seem like the type who wouldn't wanna wear dirty clothes, now aren't you?"

Edd grimaces. He's right. He can't wear his own clothes until they're washed. Biting his lip, he shifts a bit.

"Do you…Do you have anything I can wear?" he asks shyly, trying to dry himself some by starting with his arms.

A look of pure delight passes over Terry's eyes as he chuckles. Leaning down, he picks up the discarded flannel shirt. Edd glances up at him as the shirt is held towards him.

"How about this?" he purrs.

The boy feels his cheeks burning. Wearing the man's shirt? He furrows his brow.

"Um…Wh-What else?" he mumbles, "A-Along with that…?"

"What more d'ya need, baby?" the man chuckles back, leaning against the wall and shaking the shirt at the boy.

Edd blanches and turns away. The man wants him in that shirt and _nothing else._ He looks around the bathroom desperately for any clean coverings. Of course, he finds nothing. Shyly, he peeks at the shirt Terry is still wagging at him. The man has a smug look on his face. With a sigh, Edd relents to him.

"Very well…" he mumbles wearily as he rises to his feet.

With a grin, Terry sits down on the lid of the toilet, beckoning the boy closer with his finger. Edd makes a whining noise in the back of his throat before approaching him. He reaches for the shirt, but the man holds it away.

"Hold on a sec, sweetheart," he chuckles, "Sit in my lap for a bit."

A deep, red blush flares up on the boy's cheeks. He shakes his head.

"A-Absolutely not!" he cries, holding the towel tightly over him.

"Aw, c'mon baby," the man purrs, wrapping the shirt around Edd's waist and tugging the boy towards him.

The boy's hands are on his shoulders instantly, trying to push himself away.

"Unhand me!" he cries.

"Alright, alright," Terry chuckles, "You don't have to sit in my lap."

Edd sighs in relief, but catches a look in the man's eye. He's not out of the woods with this just yet…

"How 'bout you kiss me instead?" he breathes in a seductive tone.

Covering his mouth, Edd gasps; "I will do no such thing!"

"Suit yourself," Terry shrugs, leaning back some and letting the boy go, "You can walk around naked for all I care. But if you want the shirt, you've gotta pay for it."

The boy's eyes drift to the article of clothing. He considers reaching for it; just taking it from the man. However, the repercussions of such an act would most likely involve a rather painful and far more humiliating punishment. He weighs his options. Even the _idea_ of kissing this man makes him retch, however, Terry has made him do _far_ worse. In retrospect, a kiss would not be nearly as bad as…other things the man could have him do. And Edd couldn't deny, the shirt would be better than nothing at all. He returns his gaze to Terry.

"Just…_one_ kiss?" he asks hesitantly.

He cringes a bit at the smug grin on the man's face as he sits up again.

"It'll be a start," Terry replies suggestively, "But yeah, for now, just one."

Taking a deep breath, Edd nods and takes a step closer to the man. The boy's eyes dart around, avoiding Terry's eyes at all costs. He's not entirely sure what to do. His little experience with this comes from the Kanker sisters, Eddy, and the man seated before him. None of those instances were ever pleasant; they were forced and without a shred of true affection that he could find.

Edd leans in to the man's face. One hand rests on Terry's shoulder while the other keeps a firm hold on the towel. Closing his eyes and bracing himself, the boy clumsily presses his lips against Terry's. A soft moan escapes the man. His hands come up and grip Edd's hips, holding the boy in place. Edd's eyes shoot open as the man's tongue prods at his lips. The boy jerks away, the hand that had been on the man's shoulder coming up to cover his mouth. Terry grimaces a bit, tugging him back.

"Get back here," he grumbles, "I wasn't done."

The boy wriggles out of his grip.

"Y-You said just one!" he whines.

With a groan, Terry stands and holds the shirt towards the boy.

"Alright, fine," he sighs, "A deal's a deal. Put this on."

Gratefully, Edd takes the shirt from the man and pulls it on over his shoulders. He's _swimming_ in it, but he's glad for the covering. Though the sleeves hang low off of his arms, with Terry's assistance, he's able to roll them up so that he has use of his hands. When he does, he buttons down the shirt and lets the towel fall to pool around his ankles. Retrieving the towel, he dries his hair as thoroughly possible.

As he does this, he sees Terry reaching into the medicine cabinet above the sink. When his hair is damp, but no longer dripping, he folds the towel and glances at Terry. The man is holding a first aid kit. Edd glances at his hand. It's no longer bleeding, but he _should_ dress it to be safe. He remains silent as the man carefully cleans and dresses the cut. There's not much to say, he supposes. When Terry's through with the task, Edd opens his mouth to speak — to thank him for bandaging the cut — but is interrupted by his growling stomach. He blushes and holds his middle. The man chuckles.

"That's right," he notes, "You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

Edd grimaces at that. Of course he hadn't. The man had knocked him out before he could. All because of his alcoholism. Terry walks to the door leading to the hallway.

"Well then…" he purrs, "Let's see if we can do something about that." He unlocks the door and opens it, looking to Edd expectantly. "After you, Princess."

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Rate and Review, please! Flames will be used to roast marshmallows!


	6. Let Not The Sun Go Down On Your Edd

**A Good Edd Is Hard To Find**

**Summary:**

**The Ed's encounter with Bro takes a dark turn as the savage sibling concocts a dangerous game for Eddy and Double D. The race is on for Ed, Eddy and the kids of the cul-de-sac to save Edd from Eddy's brother. Friendships will be questioned. Sanity will be strained. Will the Eds be separated for good?**

**Triggers include Pedophilia, Child Grooming, Child Abuse, Sexual Assault, Possible Dub-Con, Drunken Behavior, Alcohol Abuse, and Physical and Verbal Abuse. Other warnings include Violence and Language.**

**Pairings include BroEdd and EddyEdd. Subtle Hints at other pairings, but BroEdd and EddyEdd are the main two that will be focused on it.**

**This is being co-written by DuoXKouga and Battygirl.**

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_Author's Notes:_

_DuoXKouga: This chapter has taken forever to write. I have been working alot and Battygirl is back in school. We also had Matsuricon recently and I have been fretting because of Jury Duty next week! Hopefully, the next chapter will be out soon. I am also in the process of updating my other story, Saving Hope (Rise of The Guardians) and re-writing Bring The Capricorn Home (Homestuck). So, we hope you enjoy Chapter 6!_

_Battygirl: __Wow, how long has it been since our last update?! Guys, I'm so sorry. Thing have just PILED up for us on both ends…I know DuoXKouga has been having a REALLY rough go of it and I'm now back in school. Shit's just been crazy. XP So I'm done making promises about possibly getting chapters out faster. We'll still do what we can, but we've raised the bar for ourselves with the quality of these chapters and we want to meet our own standards before we put these chapters up. We both really appreciate you all sticking by us and your patient waiting. We also really love reading what you guys think! So please, don't hesitate to leave a review. _

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Chapter 6: Let Not The Sun Go Down On Your Edd

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Darkness surrounds the group as they walk, their only light coming from the torch in Rolf's hand and the little moonlight shining down on them. Eddy's body is begging him to rest. The others share the complaint. Everyone is exhausted. However, they keep walking. Wilfred seems hot on the trail. The shortest of the group can't help but want to go on. He can only imagine what horrors Terry is putting Edd through…He's jarred from his thoughts before they can form, however, as Ed collapses to the ground.

"Ed!" he cries, at his side within moments.

"I can't go on, Eddy…" the taller boy whines, "I'm so sleepy…"

As if to punctuate the point, Ed releases a wide yawn. It spreads like wildfire throughout the group. Eddy heaves a sigh and looks around. They're still traveling along the side of the road. They can't rest here. He spots a clustering of trees in the distance. It's not too far — less than a mile, he imagines. They can set up camp there. Turning back to his near-unconscious friend, he tries to help him up.

"Ya think you can walk just a little more, monobrow?" he asks, "We can't sleep here, bud. You gotta keep going just a little more so we can make camp, okay?"

Ed whines, but lets Eddy help him back to his feet. They take an immediate right off towards the trees. Wilfred squeals in complaint, wanting to continue along the path he was following. Rolf tugs him along.

"Wilfred!" he cries, "Cease your thrashings! We are resting for the night!"

It doesn't take long for them to reach their destination. They find a big enough clearing among the trees so the fire they start won't set the whole place ablaze. When Rolf gives the okay, Eddy lays Ed down. The moment the boy hits the ground, he's out; grateful to rest. Eddy glances at Rolf, who is shouting orders.

"Kevin-boy; collect the firewood!" he demands before pointing to the Kankers, "No-Neck Ed-Boy; man the torch and Wilfred's leash! Sisters of Agony; distribute the provisions!"

"Not too much!" Eddy adds, approaching Rolf, "We don't know how long it'll be before we find food again, ya know?"

"The Short Ed-Boy speaks the truth," Rolf nods, handing him the torch and Wilfred's leash, "Ration it carefully!"

Eddy watches as Rolf begins building a fire pit. Kevin had walked away upon receiving his order. The Kankers sit together in a circle, rummaging through the provisions. For a moment, Eddy wonders why he was given no real orders to follow. He realizes, though, that it's probably for the best; he'd have complained about the work anyway…

He sits down next to the slumbering Ed, idly scratching at his friend's head. A small smile cracks the hard look on his face when Ed starts kicking his leg. It amuses him some how the guy will react like a dog. He sits for a short while, trying to will his body to power down. His fingers twitch in anticipation. He wants to keep moving.

Glancing back up, his eyes travel among the others to observe them. Rolf is quick with building the fire pit, working swiftly and efficiently. Eddy must admit; Rolf's time devoted to being an Urban Ranger has _not_ been wasted. The girls have retrieved a few bottles of water and snacks for the group to share. Eddy's surprised when he catches sight of a package of hotdogs. He chuckles a bit when he thinks about the amusement park employees finding the entire pack missing from their stores. Looking around, he notes that Kevin still hasn't returned. However, Eddy can hear him fumbling around; picking up sticks to put on the fire.

With a sigh, and knowing that Ed will be sleeping soundly for the night, he rises to his feet. Before walking away, he deftly ties Wilfred's leash to Ed's wrist with his free hand, to make sure the pig won't wander off. It's probably a waste of effort. Shortly after, Wilfred flops down beside Ed sleepily. Eddy imagines they won't be going anywhere for a bit.

"I'll be right back," he informs the others with an exasperated sigh, "I'm gonna go help ol' Shovel Chin find some firewood."

"Excellent!" Rolf cheers, "Your teamwork shall make the chore pass more quickly!"

Eddy rolls his eyes as his thoughts lapse into cynicism; _That asshole will take too damn long if he's stumbling around in the dark…_

Rolf rushes over to a tree and yanks down a branch closest to him before returning to Eddy. The shorter boy lights the end of the branch with the torch, providing the foreigner with light to work by before walking off in the direction he heard Kevin from. He vaguely wonders why Kevin didn't just do what Rolf had done, but realizes that they'll need more than the limited low-hanging branches in the clearing. Holding the torch up, it doesn't take him long to find the athlete, blindly searching. Upon noticing the light around him, the redhead turns, holding his hand over his face to shield his eyes from the sudden change in light.

"What's up, man?" he asks, brow furrowed.

Eddy shrugs, shoving his free hand into his pocket; "Figured you could use the light…You've been walking around like an idiot for a while and I'm sick of holding onto this thing." He shifts a bit on his feet. "How's it coming, anyway?"

He looks at the collection of branches in the boy's arms. Kevin's found several short, but thick pieces of wood. He sees one by the boy's feet. It's a larger branch and would last for some time. The dirt around it is disturbed, indicating that Kevin had been dragging it along behind him.

"Well enough…" the redhead shrugs back, choosing to ignore the crack about him walking around like an idiot, "Just a few more and we should be set. You wanna help?"

Eddy sighs a bit, but nods. He might as well. The boy is still feeling antsy. Doing nothing has proven to be too stressful. He wanders around with Kevin some, picking up wood as they go. Along with the thicker branches, Eddy grabs a few that are thin, but strong enough to roast the wieners with. They work silently. Neither have much of anything to say to each other. Within a few minutes, they have a proper collection of firewood, which they return to the campsite with.

They bring the wood over to Rolf, who trades them the firewood for his lit torch. Eddy watches, lazily, as the campfire is built in the pit circled by rocks. When done, Rolf reaches for the torch in Kevin's hand again and lights the wood in the pit. The torch in Eddy's hand joins it shortly. It takes several minutes, but the fire comes to life, illuminating their surroundings. May holds up the hotdogs.

"Who wants a wiener!" she giggle-snorts impishly as she and her sisters approach the fire.

"Right here, man," Kevin sighs gratefully as he takes a seat.

"Rolf will also partake of the meat trimmings cased in the flesh of the sheep," the foreigner agrees, taking a seat beside Kevin.

"Yeah, I could eat…" Eddy mumbles distractedly, handing out the roasting sticks to the others.

They roast the hotdogs in silence. Eddy takes a couple of the wieners to roast. When done, he holds one over Ed's face. It doesn't take long for the scent to draw Ed from his slumber just long enough to gobble up the hotdog. The sight makes the group laugh as Ed returns quickly to sleep. Eddy lets a small smile slip.

They try to entertain themselves some as they eat by telling scary stories. Rolf acts out the part of the monster in his tale, hoping to scare the group with his actions as well as his words. The girls laugh at him, but Kevin and Eddy decide to play along. They find it's more fun that way. The Kankers tell a typical campfire story of a murderer escaping some mental asylum. They provide their own sound effects and will sometimes act out the parts of the story. Theirs is fun to hear, but not as frightening as far as Eddy's concerned. When it comes time for Kevin to tell a story, he tries to make up his own. Something about a motorcycle maniac who kills people by strangling them with a chain. It's by sheer luck that he elicits a scream from the group as, with the end of his story, a car roars past quite loudly on the distant road. They howl with laughter at their own fear.

Finally, it's Eddy's turn.

"Alright, dude, you're up!" Kevin snickers, sitting back down next to Rolf.

"Who me?" Eddy grimaces.

"Yeah, Eddy!" Marie teases, "Give us your best shot!"

"Shove it, Marie!" Lee snaps before grinning sweetly at Eddy, "Give my man a chance. Go on Dream Boat. Tell us a story."

The all look to him expectantly. Eddy looks away, rubbing the back of his neck thoughtfully. He can tell they're expecting him to tell some cheesy story. For a moment, he thinks about it. He looks at Ed, wishing the guy would wake up and tell his own tale — he's sure whatever Ed came up with would give the others nightmares for weeks! If only he wasn't dead to the world…With a sigh, he returns his attention to the group. He starts to feel silly. They should be resting up so they can head out early tomorrow! He wonders if they'd ever find his brother this way…

Realization dawns on him and he grins grimly. Memories come flooding back of Edd's reaction to the way he'd 'trained' Jimmy. Maybe the others would have a similar reaction. He realizes then: he has a story…

"Alright," he cracks his knuckles, "Let's see…A long time ago, there was this little kid. Couldn't have been more than, like, two or three years old? And he had this br…" He pauses, thinking carefully. He thinks it's best not to tie this to himself. "…this babysitter. The kid _loved_ him. This guy was, like, the coolest, greatest person ever! A fuckin' _legend_." He licks his lips. "And the kid liked doing stuff with this guy. They played games a lot — they liked dodgeball — but…well, most of the time, they liked to scam…and all the scams worked."

The kids look between each other in confusion. Eddy's story isn't scary at all. They wonder where he's going with this.

"The babysitter filled the kid's head with stories and all kinds of ideas," he continues, "He made the kid work his ass off so they could hang out, though. Gettin' cash from their scams and all that. '_Remember,_' the guy would tell him, '_if you have a lot of cash, you can spend a lot of time with me!_' He was a little harsh. Whenever the kid did something wrong — made a mistake or…or hell, if he _said_ something the guy didn't like — the guy liked to smack him around. But it wasn't a big deal. The kid would just hide the bruises from mom and dad. I mean, what else could he do? If his folks saw them, they might not have let him hang out with his cool br—" He winces a little, correcting himself. "b-babysitter.

"Well, one day…I guess you could say that the guy went a little…too far? The little boy was trying to build this scam while his babysitter sat back and watched. And…and the babysitter didn't like how he was doing it. He yelled and screamed at him for being stupid. Hit him over and over…and over…and over…" Eddy shakes his head to clear his thoughts. "The kid had more bruises than before. He was even bleeding from some of it."

Eddy's eyes turn to the ground; "But the kid still…he still looked up to the guy. I mean…I mean, why wouldn't he? The guy's so cool. I mean, it wasn't like he'd tried to kill the kid or anything. The guy wasn't hurting him because he hated him. It was just his way of showing he cared. I mean, hell, the guy only hit the boy when he was bad, ya know? It was more like the guy was…I dunno…correcting him or something…"

He shrugs a bit, rubbing his neck; "Well…Either way, his parents found out, of course. I mean, the kid could only hide so many bruises. Black eyes and bloody noses aren't as easy to keep a secret. The babysitter was…eh…'fired' and got sent away. I guess it was so he couldn't hurt the kid anymore…I dunno…" He glances up, forcing a cheeky grin, "But he'd left his mark. The kid became just like him…" His face falls. "And everyone hated him. He didn't have many friends. And the ones he _did_ have…" He glances guiltily at Ed, "well I…I guess he ended up hurtin' them too…"

Sighing, he looks up at the group. The kids are looking at him with uncertainty. They're not sure how to respond to all that. Eddy has a feeling they're not scared. But, by the looks on their faces, they're a bit concerned. Kevin's the first to speak.

"Dude…What the heck was _that_ about?" he asked, voice shaky.

"What?" Eddy scrunches up his face in a grimace, "Not as scary as a motorcycle maniac?"

"Not by a long shot…" Marie scoffs, "Why would you make up a story like _that_? No killers or psychopaths…"

"I didn't make it up…" Eddy grumbles back, glancing away uneasily at his own admission.

Lee studies him carefully; "Is that what your brother did to you?"

The others are hit hard with realization as they focus on Eddy again. The short boy's cheeks flush a light pink as he bristles a bit. He bolts to his feet.

"You guys are the ones who wanted a story!" he cries accusingly, "That was the first thing I could think of! It freaked Ed and Double D out when they heard about that stuff…"

"Did your brother really do all that to you when you were a kid?" Kevin asks, brow furrowed.

"Yeah…" Eddy's hand is on the back of his neck again in an effort to distract himself from his own emotion, "So what?"

"What do ya mean 'so what'?!" Kevin stands, glaring at him, "That's fucked up, man!"

"What if he's doing awful things like that to Double D?!" Marie whines, panicking.

Eddy groans, hands coming up to rub at his tired eyes. This was a mistake. He shouldn't have told that story to them. Of course they'd react like that. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't wondered it himself. His brother had been really hard on him when he was little. It was so easy to anger the man. With Edd's smart mouth, he can only imagine what his brother was doing to 'correct' him.

The others argue amongst themselves. The Kankers want to forget camping and keep walking — damned be the consequences! They want to get back to the hunt! Kevin and Rolf argue that they need to rest or they'll pass out from exhaustion. Eddy's torn. He wants to keep going too. He doesn't like stopping here for the night. However, he knows if they don't rest, they really won't make it in time. Their fatigue will slow them down. Pulling at his hair, he tries to gather his thoughts. He feels something tugging at his pants leg. Startled, he looks down to find Ed, who's staring up at him with puppy eyes.

"Eddy?" he says with a pout, "What's going on? Why's everyone fighting?"

Eddy looks at him carefully. Ed had always been attune to the emotions around him. The fighting that's going on had even roused _Ed_ from his slumber. The group glances at him, startled by Ed's sudden attention. Sighing, Eddy pats the top of his friend's head.

"Everything's fine Ed…" he replies, looking up at the others, "We're all just really tired, right guys?"

He nods for them to respond positively. They return the gesture.

"It _is_ pretty late…" Kevin notes, stretching, "We should probably try to get some sleep…start fresh in the morning."

"But what if someone comes by?" May notes.

"We'll douse the fire," Lee answers, "As long as no one sees the light from the road, we should be fine…"

Eddy feels a chill run down his spine. Douse the fire? Sleep in the dark? He remains silent, though. Telling them he wants to keep the fire going while he sleeps would be too…_embarrassing._ He certainly doesn't need Kevin or Marie to hound him for being afraid of the dark. To his dismay, the others agree and Rolf and Kevin kick dirt onto the fire, smothering it. The shortest Ed drops to the ground next to his taller companion and edges as close as possible as darkness settles around them fully.

It feels suffocating as only small embers remain. Ed seems more than happy to have his 'cuddly' friend close and hugs him tight to comfort him. Eddy groans and carefully pushes him away. Ed's touchy-feely nonsense wore on him quickly. Now is no exception. Though he welcomes the comfort some, he's too irritated by his own thoughts to accept it. As his eyes slowly adjust, he can barely make out the groups. No one wants to sleep alone. Kevin and Rolf are close together, lying on their backs and murmuring between themselves. The Kankers edge closer to the Eds, but keep enough distance as they huddle together.

For a long time, Eddy can't sleep. He remains upright, staring into the dying embers of the fire. The others fade fast and it's not too terribly long before he hears their breathing soften. Ed and Rolf begin snoring. He hears a bit of snoring from the sisters, but can't be sure which one.

He's alone.

Standing, he silently makes his way over to the remnants of the fire, picking up one of the discarded roasting sticks. He absentmindedly pokes and prods at the charred pieces of wood, watching the embers flitter up into the night as he sits. His mind is still a jumble. Despite his efforts, he cannot relax. With nothing else to distract his mind, his thoughts drift to worry over Edd. He feels as though a piece of him has been stolen. A part of him wonders why that is. Sure, Edd is his best friend. Their trio dynamic is one that cannot and _should not_ be broken.

Yet it had been…

Although, Eddy's sure that's not what bothers him about it. Even though he'd lost his friend, it feels so much more painful than he imagines it would if it were Ed he had lost.

Of course…his relationship with his smarter friend had always been a little different than the one he had with the tallest boy. He can't quite place it. He feels more comfortable with them both than he ever had with anyone else, but with Edd, it felt even more…effortless. He groans a bit and holds his head. Even in his own mind, he can't pinpoint it. He lies back. He's far enough away from the fire pit that he can spread his legs out some. He stares up into the inky black sky, thinking.

Like many times before, Eddy wonders why Edd had followed him for so long. The smarter boy had proven on their journey to find his brother that he had a limit to how much he could take. The boy had been pushed to that breaking point and had not only threatened, but actively tried to walk away from him and Ed.  
Eddy cringes at the thought. It's bad enough that Terry had taken Edd from him. There had been no choice then; no free will. But when Edd had tried to leave him and Ed behind, he had done so willingly. In that moment, his friend had given up on him.

And it hurt.

The taller boys are all Eddy has had since Terry left home. For either of them to turn their backs on him is more painful than he could ever imagine. Again, he questions to himself why Edd had remained his friend for so long. The boy is so intelligent. Ed and Eddy had only ever held him back. After returning to school after their last summer break, Edd had been put in detention more times than he could count. Eddy had been used to it by then and had accepted the detentions almost like a badge of honor — he believed it'd make Terry proud of him — but he knows it killed his friend on the inside with every hour of punishment.

So why did Edd stay? Little to no social skills; Eddy had always assumed. While Edd could be incredibly confident when presenting himself, he didn't have much of a filter. He'd speak of things no one understood or even things that, while fascinating, could also be terribly unnerving. Of course, Edd had always been capable of entertaining himself as well, Eddy recalls. He built things for their scams, but always seemed to find time to create things on his own.

There's something else, though, that must've made the boy stay with the trouble-making duo. Besides the limited social skills, Eddy firmly believes Edd was always just lonely. As long as Eddy can remember, his friend's house had always been empty. He's certain he'd met Edd's parents at least once before, but he can't, for the life of him, remember. They were always gone. It lead him to the only logical conclusion Eddy could reach; the other Eds accepted him and Edd craved their companionship despite their many _many_ faults, which he had accepted as well. This realization only makes Edd's momentary rejection all the more painful.

He curls up on his side, desperately trying to comfort himself. If he doesn't stop his thoughts now, they'll only torture him. Then he'll never get any sleep…He closes his eyes, taking deep, calming breaths. Finally, he drifts to sleep, praying his friend is okay.

They're awoken by the sun glaring down upon them. The sky is fading from black to purple to a pretty baby blue. Rolf is the first to rise. He's used to waking up at the crack of dawn. He wastes no time in waking the others, well aware that Eddy will want to get a move on. The group is very unresponsive as they drag themselves up. Even Eddy, who is usually a bundle of energy and who has been so desperate to move on and find Edd, is sluggish and difficult to rouse.

They spend at least half an hour waking each other up. They eat a few snacks, rehydrate, and pack up before turning to Wilfred. They can do little until he finds the trail again. They're happy to find, though, that it doesn't take long. The moment the pig puts his snout to the ground, they're off again.

Aside from Ed, the group is still unsettled from the night before. Eddy feels guilt eat away at him. He hadn't intended to make them worry more. He lags behind them some, eyes drifting away. They stay close to the road, but far enough that they shouldn't be bothered by passerby. No one's talking.

It's not long before they come across the next clue. Wilfed's pace picks up some and so does their own. They're led from the road again and to a small clustering of bushes. Upon closer inspection, they discover most to be covered in thorns; a rose bush. There are little to no flowers growing on it, though. It looks to be dying. Their eyes scan for anything that doesn't belong. Rolf spots it first.

"Behold!" he cries, pointing to the middle of the thorn bush.

Amongst the little spines, they spot a small, laminated square. Without thinking, Eddy darts forward to grab it. One hand goes out to support himself. His fingers wrap around a clump of thorns and he jerks back with a yelp, holding his bleeding hand.

"Eddy!" Ed cries, his hands reaching for Eddy's shoulders, "Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine, Ed!" Eddy snaps back, "Get the damn picture!"

Ed is taken aback by the short-tempered reply, but nods and retrieves the Polaroid, as directed. He gasps loudly when he sees it.

"Eddy!" he whines, "Look what he's done to our Double D!"

Brow furrowed, Eddy grabs the photo from Ed with his uninjured hand and brings it close to his face. His eyes widen and he feels anger boil in him again. This time, his brother is in the photo as well. He has Edd in his lap, pulling the boy close to him. Edd's hands are bound by the handcuffs and are desperately trying to push the man away as Terry leans close to him. He's not looking at the camera, Eddy notices. The man's eyes are locked on Edd, while the boy's are shut tight. Edd seems less scared here, but much more uncomfortable. Eddy shares that discomfort, but it's anger that he's feeling most strongly.

He feels the others crowding around him, but pays them no mind. Marie gasps and reaches for the photo.

"What the hell?!" she shrieks, "That sick fuck!"

"Enough already!" Eddy snaps, "Are you gonna do that every damn time?!"

Marie rounds on him as the group disperses a bit.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she scoffs, "How stupid of me to be _worried_ about my boyfriend!"

"I'm gettin' _real_ sick of your attitude, bitch!" Eddy growls.

"The fuck did you call me?!" Marie gets up into his face.

"What are you, deaf _and_ stupid?!" Eddy shouts back.

"That _does_ it, shorty!" she screams, "Let's go! You and me!"

"Sounds good to me!" Eddy growls, dropping the photo and pushing his sleeve up his arm.

"Enough of this foolishness!" Rolf cries, stepping between them, "Your squabbling is wasting time!"

"Yeah, man!" Kevin groans, "We've been _over_ this! All this fighting is only holding us up! Can't you two calm down long enough for us to keep moving?!"

Lee grabs Marie and jerks her back; "Jock-boy's got a point, Marie. If you wanna find that boyfriend a yours, we can't stop to let you fight with mine!"

Marie yanks her arm away again; "Then tell _your_ boyfriend to stop being such a little bitch!"

Eddy steps toward her; "What'd you say?!"

Ed grabs Eddy around his middle and picks him up.

"Eddy, no!" he cries, "No more fighting! Think about Double D!"

Eddy deflates some at that. He looks at his hands, one still bleeding and sighs. As much as he hates to admit it, Ed's right. He can't be fighting with Marie like this. They need to move on. Glaring at Marie, he forces himself to calm.

"Alright, alright, Ed," he sighs, "put me down."

Ed does so, confident that his friend has calmed enough. Eddy takes a few deep breaths and turns away.

"C'mon," he mumbles in slight defeat.

As they continue on their journey, Eddy looks down at the picture in his hand and cautiously flips it over to read the message left behind by his brother. His eyes narrow as fury builds in his chest as he scans the crudely written words and he lets out a soft growl.

_Princess and I are having lots of fun, Pipsqueak. I think he's startin' to come around. Don't forget, if you don't hurry, he'll be all mine.  
— Bro_

As he reflects on those words, he can only hope that his friend hasn't done anything to enrage his brother. The guilt that had been eating away at him comes back full force and he sighs softly, tucking the photo away with the others. He vaguely notices that his palm is no longer bleeding as he shoves his hands into his pockets as well. In an effort to calm himself, Eddy walks a little further ahead of the others. His mind is consumed by thoughts of his brother and his dear friend. He kept reminding himself that Terry had a short temper and Edd could only be pushed so far before he snapped. Given the first message the man had left him, Eddy wonders if that possibility had already occurred.

The group regards Eddy with silent concern. They're not used to seeing him like this. The silence is more unnerving than before. A few of them want to ask what the message says. The two previous photos they'd come across had bore handwritten messages from the man. Though he'd neither confirmed nor denied the presence of a message this time, they're positive they'd find writing on this new photo as well if they could get a better look at the Polaroid. The curiosity is almost too much.

But they hold their tongues. After that argument with Marie, they realize it would be unwise to test his temper any further. Eddy needed to cool down before they tried to ask him anything. So, they set their minds on walking. They wonder what time it is, how long they've been walking. The sun isn't terribly high in the sky, so they rule out any possibility that it's anywhere near noon. But for most of them, that's all they can discern.

They have decided to move away from the main road completely. A few miles of walking along that long stretch of highway, despite their fair distance from it, had had people giving them curious looks. To avoid the risk of anyone stopping them again, they had come to the conclusion that they could not follow the road any further. It's for the best, they find. Wilfred is able to follow the scent easier when he's not walking near the hot asphalt.

The sun rises higher and higher into the sky, the time passing quickly around them. Finally, after a couple more hours of walking, they come across the next breadcrumb. Eddy hasn't spoken a word since finding the last photo. Only Ed has broken the silence. He's tried keeping morale up his own way…

…by singing his own rendition of 100 bottles of beer on the wall…

"_Thirty-five bottles of root beer on the wall!_" he continues, "_Thirty-five bottles of root beer! Ya take one down and pass it around! _Um…"

"Thirty-four…" everyone else but Eddy moans, disinterested from having to help the boy with every other number.

"_Thirty-four bottles of root beer on the wall!_"

Eddy feels his eye twitching as Ed laughs before starting the next verse.

"_Thirty-four bottles of root beer on the wall!_" he continues, "_Thirty-four bottles of root beer! Ya take one down and pass it arou—_"

"ED!" Eddy screams finally, "Shut up!"

"Aww, Eddy!" Ed whines, "I lost count!" He perks up almost instantly, "Better start over!"

The group lets out a collective groan as Ed opens his mouth to sing again and Eddy grabs at his own hair, tugging it in frustration.

"Woah, dudes, look!" Kevin cries, his finger pointing them towards Wilfred.

They follow the direction the pig is taking and realize they've stumbled across a sort of fair ground. There are picnic tables scattered about a few miles apart. On one of them rests an abandoned basket. Wilfred is waddling his way quickly towards it. Curiously, they follow. There's little to no one around to see them. Off in the distance, they can hear some chatter and they can just barely spot the bright colors of tourists dressed garishly for their outing. Feeling safe in their solitude, the group surrounds the picnic table. The girls take a seat immediately, glad for the rest while the boys simply stand by and look around curiously.

"My feet are killin' me!" May whines, propping her feet up on the bench and leaning back against Marie.

"Get offa me!" the middle Kanker snaps, shoving her away and to the ground.

"Knock it off, you two!" Lee snaps, "Can't you even sit on a bench right?"

Eddy tunes out their squabbling as he looks over the basket. At first glance, there doesn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary. There's rotting food — whoever abandoned this basket must have done so ages ago — and several insects surrounding it. For a moment, Eddy's reminded of Ed's bedroom. He's hesitant to investigate any further upon spotting a few bees hovering over the basket as well.

Then he spots it.

Amongst the dingy mess within the basket is a small square of white. There's writing on it, he notices, and it looks a bit glossy as well. Eddy grimaces. Of course his brother would make this difficult…Taking a deep breath, and moving as carefully as possible to avoid angering the bees, he reaches into the basket. He shuts his eyes tight and flinches when he feels the insects grazing the flesh of his arm. He expects the sharp stings and braces himself, but doesn't stop in his efforts to retrieve the Polaroid.

Luck seemed to finally be on his side as he withdraws his hand. The bees had landed on him, but move away almost immediately after he'd retrieved the picture. They have no interest in him whatsoever. No nasty stings. Sighing in relief, Eddy steps away from the basket some to inspect the photo. He groans angrily, gritting his teeth in annoyance. His brother really _is_ a whiz at ticking him off.

The photo's back to featuring just Edd. The boy's being shoved roughly against a tree, and Terry's pulling the boy's collar down. Eddy averts his eyes to avoid looking at the boy's bare shoulder. There are more suggestive bruises there. Taking a deep breath, he turns the photo over to read the message his brother left him this time.

_Are you even trying, baby brother? Maybe you really don't care about what happens to your lil girlfriend, huh? Maybe you just want to give him to me. But hey, who am I to complain?  
— Bro_

Unconsciously, Eddy begins to crumple the photo some, his fingers gripping it tightly. He shakes a bit as well. As angry as he feels, there's also a sense of helplessness. He glances weakly at Rolf.

"Hey…" he winces a bit at how hollow his own voice sounds to him, "Can you tell what time it is, Rolfy-boy?"

The foreigner looks toward the sky, squinting and raising his hand a bit to shield his eyes slightly from the sun. He's silent for a moment as he judges the angle of the sun.

"It is almost midday, Short-Tempered Ed-Boy," he answers finally.

Eddy feels his stomach drop. A day and a half. They've already wasted so much time. They only have a day and a half left to find them! He doesn't allow the others to see the image this time before he pockets it. He doesn't want to deal with their reactions.

"Then we gotta keep going!" he demands, yanking Wilfred's leash, "Let's go, you stupid pig!"

"Aw, c'mon, Eddy!" May whines, "Can't we take a break. It feels like we've been walking forever!"

"If you wanna sit back and lounge, be my guest," Eddy snaps back before barking to Ed, "C'mon, Lumpy. Let's go find Double D!"

Ed is at Eddy's side within seconds. He doesn't need telling twice. With a sigh, Lee rises to her feet.

"Alright, alright," she sighs, "We can't just let you go alone. C'mon girls."

The remaining Kankers groan, but follow their sister's lead. Kevin offers Rolf a half-hearted shrug and follow Eddy as Wilfred picks up the trail again.

Eddy's fingers have resumed their anxious twitching. It's been hours since that last clue. Wilfred has led them to a forest-type area now. Rolf has since regained control of his leash, urging the pig to move faster. Tall trees block the sunlight, offering them relief from the mighty heat. The shortest of the group is looking around desperately for something — anything! — that will give them a new heading. His mood had taken a nose dive after that last message. He begins to fear the worst and allows doubt to overcome him.

"Eddy…?"

He glances up at Ed, who's stopped walking. The boy's voice had been soft, scared. His face reflected his tone. Unlike the others, who all have their eyes cast low, Ed is staring up. His eyes are wide and he looks scared. Eddy turns to him fully.

"What is it, Ed?" he asks, keeping his voice low so as not to alert the others.

Ed raises his hand and points upward. Eddy follows the direction to a tree several yards ahead. High up in it's branches, he scours for what his friend is pointing to. His eyes grow wide when he sees it. A small mass of black. He grabs Ed's sleeve.

"Ed; _fetch,_" he commands in a shaky voice, his eyes never leaving the object.

As soon as Eddy lets him go, Ed's off. Eddy looks to the others sternly.

"Wait here," he dictates before running after his friend.

The others cast him confused looks, unsure of just what it is the Eds are up to now. However, they do as they're asked, grateful for the break. Eddy watches Ed from the base of the tree. The taller boy is completely focused, something Eddy had never believed he'd see. He's glad for it, though. Ed's focus is critical here. His breathing is ragged as he watches Ed reach for the object. Eddy would recognize it anywhere. He'd seen it everyday of his life since they'd met Edd. It had been a constant for him and for Ed. Seeing it without its owner is almost painful. With the object in hand, Ed carefully climbs back down to the ground. His hands are shaky as he returns to Eddy. He's cradling the soft item in his hands like a fragile infant.

"Eddy…?" he whimpers.

With tears burning the corners of his eyes, Eddy touches the black fabric of the hat. He feels a pang of guilt and hurt. This had always been the most important thing to Edd. To know it had been stolen from him so callously hurt him greatly. Sure, he and Ed had teased their friend for his attachment to the head-wear, but it had all been in good fun. They both respected Edd's compulsion for it. Eddy can only imagine what Edd must be going through without its comfort. Gently, Eddy takes the hat into his hands and something falls out and to the ground. Eddy's eyes are wide when he spots the Polaroid. He snatches it into his hands. He doesn't bother looking at the image yet. He needs to know what his brother's taunting message is. His eyes skim over the words.

His blood runs cold.

Eddy sinks to the ground, eyes locked on the writing. He shakes in despair, vaguely hearing the others approaching. He sneaks a glance at them. They've stopped a few yards away and are looking at him curiously. They don't know what he's read. Returning his gaze to the Polaroid, he turns the photo over. He winces, looking at Edd's sweet, unconscious face. Hat removed, scar visible, bruises on his neck and arms. He's not sure whether to cry or scream. He wants to do both.

"Eddy?" Kevin's voice is soft. Is he concerned? "What'd you find?"

"I-Is that Double D's hat?!" Marie gasps.

His eyes raise to the others again. They're approaching him carefully. Ed steps in front of him, to block him. Eddy touches his hand, lowering it for the taller Ed. His eyes are unfocused as he stares ahead of him. He shakily turns the photo over and back to the writing.

_Hope you enjoyed your lil detour, Pipsqueak. Good luck finding us now.  
— Bro_

His eyes trail to the hat in his hands and then, finally, to the others once again. They look at him expectantly, hoping for answers. With tears in his eyes, he gives it to them.

"We've been going the wrong way."

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DUN DUN DUNNNNN!

DuoXKouga: Oh no! Rate and Review, please! Flames will be used to roast the animatronics from Five Nights at Freddy's cuz they keep killing me!

Battygirl: *groans and glares at DuoXKouga* Then stop playing the game! They can't kill you if you don't play it!


	7. Music Soothes The Troubled Edd

**A Good Edd Is Hard To Find**

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**Summary:**

**The Ed's encounter with Bro takes a dark turn as the savage sibling concocts a dangerous game for Eddy and Double D. The race is on for Ed, Eddy and the kids of the cul-de-sac to save Edd from Eddy's brother. Friendships will be questioned. Sanity will be strained. Will the Eds be separated for good?**

**Triggers include Pedophilia, Child Grooming, Child Abuse, Sexual Assualt, Possible Dub-Con, Drunken Behavior, Alcohol Abuse, and Physical and Verbal Abuse. Other warnings include Violence and Language.**

**Pairings include BroEdd and EddyEdd. Subtle Hints at other pairings, but BroEdd and EddyEdd are the main two that will be focused on it.**

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**This is being co-written by DuoXKouga and Battygirl.**

_DuoXKouga: It's been a while guys! Been way busy with stuff, but we finally updated! Just a little warning:_ _**This chapter contains triggers. Pedophilia being the major one. Please, if it makes you upset or uncomfortable, please skip this chapter and chapter 8. Thank you.**_

_Battygirl: Yeah, this is why I said I wouldn't make any promises about getting these chapters out faster. School has been kicking my ass. I've been so flippin' exhausted and I know DuoXKouga's been busy with everything she's dealing with. But we both hope this chapter makes up for it. A word of caution, though; this one gets…kinda naughty… _

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Chapter 7: Music Soothes The Troubled Edd

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Edd follows Terry out into the sitting room. There's a small television set near the window facing a long couch. Sunlight is shining through the glass. The boy is naturally startled. In the bathroom, he hadn't seen any light coming through the small window, but now, mere moments later, he stands in a room that's bathed in sunlight. That window may have been boarded up somehow, but there's a much more serious issue he must consider. He begins to panic a bit as he wonders; how long _had_ he been unconscious?! He wants to ask, but doubts the man to be in a very talkative mood. The boy also imagines that Terry wouldn't tell him willingly without getting something in return. It probably wouldn't be anything pleasant either. Best to hold his tongue.

For now.

Between the television and the couch sits a simple coffee table. There are a couple of smaller, flimsy-looking tables here and there. One rests beside the couch beneath a dusty lamp. Another stands against the wall, next to a bookcase that's nearly empty. At first glance, the room seems to be just as barren as the others. This leads Edd to the conclusion that the man doesn't visit this trailer often. Though, to be fair, he'd guessed as much with the overall state of cleanliness. Terry ushers the boy over to the couch and sits him down.

"Wait here, Princess," he speaks in a commanding, yet dismissive tone as he turns away again, "I'll get you somethin' to eat…"

Edd hunches his shoulders, watching him carefully as the man retreats to the kitchen. With a dejected sigh, he leans back against the couch. It's surprisingly more comfortable than the bed he'd woken up in, but only just. He hears the man working on something in the kitchen. The boy's stomach growls impatiently.

Biting his lip, he begins to feel uneasy. He wonders if he should even eat whatever Terry brings him? His parents had always warned him around Halloween — when he would join Ed and Eddy for trick-or-treating — not to eat any candy he'd collected until it had been checked thoroughly. It was a rule he had always adhered so strictly to, given all the warnings about children being poisoned or candy laced with blades or other sharp implements. Edd finds himself in a similar situation now. However, this time he doesn't have his mother and father here to be sure the food will be safe for consumption. He has no choice but to trust this man who had treated him so horribly. With that thought in mind, Edd worries what the man may have in store for him when he presents the boy with his meal.

In a desperate effort to calm his frazzled nerves, Edd stands from the couch. He's much more stable on his feet after that bath. He reaches up to feel at the bump at the back of his head. It's still tender, but the swelling has gone down significantly. A sigh of relief escapes the boy at that revelation and he feels a small bit of his anxiety ebb.

Curiously, Edd starts looking around the room. The only door in or out of this room is the one connected to the kitchen. The window is blocked by the television only slightly, but, upon closer inspection, he finds that there's no way to open it. Escape is definitely not an option at this time. However, the boy can distract himself by finding objects of interest in the room. One such item that he had overlooked upon arrival is a harp in the corner. At first, Edd is shocked to see it. Why on _earth_ would Eddy's brother — this wretched excuse for a human being — own such a delicate, beautiful instrument? It's a faded gold in color and there's a thick layer of dust along the top of the instrument. Curiously, he reaches out and plucks one of the strings. He frowns a bit at the off-key note; it needs to be tuned. As he looks at it, he's reminded of the man's old bedroom in Eddy's home. There had been a harp there as well. The boy is baffled. There's no way Terry can be physically capable of playing the harp, of all things!

So why have it?

He turns to the kitchen and takes a step. What better way to learn the truth than to ask? He stops. No. No, wait…If he asks something the man doesn't want to answer — something personal — it may anger him. Edd turns away from the door and the harp. He certainly doesn't want to risk angering the man. At least not until he's eaten something. As much as he hates constantly avoiding the gathering of new knowledge, he can't risk missing yet another chance at food.

Walking around the room a bit more, he comes to the bookcase. Upon one of it's empty shelves sits a framed photo. Brow furrowed, Edd reaches up and takes it down to get a better look. It's not too high for him to reach, but he has to stand on his tiptoes to do so. Upon retrieving the frame, he looks over the image. It's very old, he notes, and features Eddy and Terry together. His friend is very young here. Edd imagines this may have been taken shortly before he'd moved to Peach Creek Estates with his mother and father; before he'd met Ed and Eddy. Baby Eddy is smiling in pure joy as he sits in his brother's lap. Terry, conversely, looks disinterested overall, but lets his brother hug onto him. To an unknowing observer, it'd be a cute, heartwarming photo of budding sibling rivalry.

Edd knows better now.

At least…he thinks he does. Eddy had never told him a straight truth about his brother and his only current knowledge of the man is that he's cruel and brutal towards his sibling and anyone else around him. The boy wonders if there had ever been a genuinely nice time between the brothers.

He's startled from his thoughts by a hand on his shoulder. Whipping his attention behind him, he nearly drops the photo. Terry grabs the frame before it can fall and pulls it away from Edd. He glances at it in mild interest before returning his gaze to Edd.

"Careful with that curiosity there, Princess," he grumbles, setting the photo onto a higher shelf and laying it face down, "You might not like what you find…"

Edd shivers fearfully as he's pulled away from the shelf again. He wants to ask about it. He curses the unfairness of his situation. All of these questions buzzing around in his head! His curiosity is thoroughly peaked and he can't ask a single one with the threat of violence from the man. He truly feels that if he can learn more about this man, he can figure out a way to escape him. A look of warning passes over the man's face, as though he knows what the boy is thinking. Edd keeps his silence in fear of further abuse.

He's led back over to the couch. On the coffee table is sitting a steaming bowl of macaroni and cheese. To say Edd's surprised would be an understatement. The man had put…_effort_ into this? As he takes his seat on the couch again, he looks to Terry uneasily. He notices now that the man had put his jersey back on, leading him to assume the man had gone to retrieve it while preparing the pasta. He tries to focus on his sating hunger instead.

"Th-Thank you…" he murmurs.

His stomach growls again as the man sits next to him. Edd blushes shyly, begging without speaking for his body to silence itself. Terry turns to him and pulls Edd's legs over his lap. The blush on Edd's cheeks spreads. He tries to pull himself away.

"Wh-What are you doing?!" he gasps as one of the man's large hands grabs his thigh, keeping him in place.

"Sit still, sweetheart," he purrs, easing his grip on the boy's leg.

He traces up Edd's thigh with a wicked grin. The boy squirms, hand coming up to grab at the man's shirt. He whimpers little pleas, begging the man to stop as he tries to push against Terry's hand.

"You wanna eat, don'tcha?" the man sneers.

Edd lets out a whimpering sob. He hasn't heard it much yet, but he's quickly growing sick and tired of hearing that phrase! These wretched little deals the man forces him into are going to be the end of him! Reluctantly, he allows the man to touch him. Terry's fingers push the flannel up Edd's leg, exposing more of the boy's soft, creamy flesh to him. Shutting his eyes tight, Edd tries to think of something, anything, to distract him from his current situation.

His thoughts shift immediately to his friends. Ed…Eddy…If only he were with them now. He tries to imagine it — to escape this violation. Ed is sitting on his left and Eddy, his right; in place of his brother. No…No, Ed's wandered off. It's just him and Eddy. He jolts a little when he feels the man's lips on his neck. In his mind, he still sees Eddy. He can feel his face burning as he pictures Eddy mimicking his brother's actions. Terry's tongue presses against his jugular. He imagines Eddy's mouth on him, wicked tongue doing the same. The hand on his thigh ventures further upward. His body reacts for him. His breath becomes uneven. He feels warm all over. His whimpering has ceased and has been replaced with little, wanton moans.

It feels…pleasurable.

The warmth upon his neck leaves and Edd blearily opens his eyes. Terry's grinning knowingly at him, causing Edd to shrink in on himself some as the man cups his chin.

"Looks like you enjoyed that an awful lot, huh, Princess?" he chuckles.

Shivering, Edd averts his eyes. He can't bring himself to look at the man.

"P-Please…" he whines in a desperate attempt to change the subject, "M-May I please eat now?"

The man merely laughs and retrieves the bowl of macaroni and cheese. It's no longer steaming, but is still very warm as he sits it in Edd's lap, allowing the boy to hold the dish for him. The boy's legs are protected by the fabric, so he can feel the heat of the bowl, but it's far less intense. Terry takes the fork before Edd has the chance and scoops up a bite of the food.

"Open wide, Girlfriend," he chortles.

Edd grimaces. How much more degrading could this become?! Why did Terry insist on treating him like a child one minute and then so amorously the next? His stomach growls sharply in protest, drawing the boy to sigh. As humiliating as this is, he has to play along if the reward is a full stomach. Opening his mouth, he waits for the man to feed him. The mocking grin on Terry's face reflects the man's approval as he feeds the boy. It's almost too easy, making Edd do what he wants. He licks his lips in anticipation; eager to have the boy writhing beneath him.

Edd eats silently. His earlier fears of poisoning have long since been abolished from his thoughts. The smell and taste of the food took care of that. It's a simple dish, but it's more than pleasing to the boy's palate after being starved of food for the past couple of days — both intentionally and from a lack of rations amongst himself and his fellow Eds. Edd notes that it was a silly notion anyway; worrying that the man would poison him. Terry had gone this far to get him away from his friends and hide him away. Why would he poison him after all that trouble? Terry's free hand is still resting on his thigh, but the boy finds he doesn't notice it as much. Or perhaps his mind has perceived no more threat from it…? Either way, he's glad to have that off his mind as well.

As the contents of the bowl grow smaller and smaller, Edd finds himself thinking more and more clearly. His curiosity begins well up again. More questions come to mind. Before taking another bite, he glances at Terry curiously.

"Why do you have cheese?" he asks.

The man gives him a funny look. Edd realizes that the question makes little sense with no context and decides to elaborate.

"Eddy once mentioned that you were lactose intolerant," he explains, "Why would you have dairy products like cheese if you can't eat it?"

"Oh yeah…" the man scoffs, "I'd forgot about that. Nah, that was just a bullshit way of getting back at my folks…Always pissed my old man off that he had to get special dietary shit."

Edd grimaces. It shouldn't surprise him that this man would lie to his own parents about something that would be a serious issue to those who actually had to manage those dietary issues out of necessity. He opens his mouth to comment on that, but is silenced by another bite of food. He chews indignantly, allowing the matter to drop for the time being.

When the bowl is empty, Edd decides to ask another question; "Why do you have a harp?"

Terry cocks his brow, glancing at the instrument before focusing on Edd again.

"The fuck do you mean?" he scoffs, "I play it. Why else would I have it?"

"That's not possible," Edd retorts.

The man's eye twitches a bit; "And what's _that_ supposed to mean, Princess?"

Edd gulps and tries to change his tone a bit to calm him.

"I-I just don't see how a person as barbarous as yourself can play such a delicate, fragile instrument as that," he explains, "Certainly you can understand why I'd have my doubts…"

Terry observes him thoughtfully for a moment.

"You want me to prove it?" he asked suggestively.

Edd's startled by that. He considers it for a moment before deciding that, yes; he _does._

"Y-Yes…" he nods, "Would you, please?"

Terry moves Edd's legs to the side as he stands to retrieve the instrument from the corner. Before doing so, he takes the empty bowl from the boy and places it on the coffee table. He can take it to the kitchen later. Edd watches carefully as the man approaches the harp and lifts it with ease before returning to sit back on the couch. As he takes his seat, Edd hears the springs of the old couch creaking under his weight. To his dismay, Terry drapes the boy's legs back across his lap before pulling the instrument closer. Edd can only observe as the man adjusts and tunes the harp before strumming it gently; his fingers moving delicately over the strings. A soft melody makes its way to Edd's ears, drawing a gasp of awe, shock, and anger from the pre-teen.

He recognizes the melody of 'Careless Whisper' fairly quickly. Eddy liked songs like this that had a jazzy sound. He always claimed he'd play the record for Nazz if they ever went out — though, considering Eddy's shyness around her, Edd doubted this prospect highly. Edd notes, however, that Terry is playing much slower than he remembers the song being originally. It sounds smoother, softer. Hearing the sensual tone of the melody makes Edd shiver unconsciously. This makes no sense! How can Terry play such a gentle tune on a beautiful instrument like this?

Terry's focus remains on plucking the strings of the harp. The trailer is filled with the soft melody. He glances out of the corner of his eye to catch a glimpse at the pre-teen who is sitting beside him, stunned. He smirks a bit, content to have proven himself right. Keeping one hand at the strings, he reaches down with the other to stroke the boy's soft thigh once again. He takes pure delight in seeing the boy jump in horror. With a whine, Edd pulls his legs back and away from him. Terry wraps his hand around the boy's ankle and tugs, keeping the limb over his lap as he shoots the boy a warning look.

"S-Stop!" the boy begs pitifully, "Please!"

"What's the matter, sweetheart?" Terry purrs, grinning darkly at him.

Edd starts to whimper softly as Terry's hand travels back up his leg to the boy's thigh. Shakily, Edd brings his knees together in a desperate attempt to preserve his modesty.

"You know _very well_ what the matter is…" Edd retorts in a mumble.

With a devious grin, Terry gives the boy's thigh a tight squeeze, drawing Edd to release a sharp squeak.

"Please!" he begs, hands coming down to grab at the the large hand around his leg, "Stop that, I beg you! This is highly inappropriate!"

Terry removes his other hand from the harp and grabs Edd's chin, stopping his actions.

"That _can't_ be all that's got you so riled up, Princess…" he sneers in faux gentleness, "What's the matter?"

Edd shuts his eyes tight and shoves his hand away from his face.

"How can you even ask that?" he cries.

He's finally able to pull himself away from the man's grip, but he doesn't move far. He sits up on his knees, facing him.

"This isn't fair!" he snaps, "You're the _worst_ person I've ever encountered! You're cruel and brutish and a lecher! You shouldn't be physically _capable_ of playing that beautiful instrument! Let alone playing it so _well!_"

Terry grabs his arm; "Watch yer tone, Princess."

"No! I've had enough of this!" Edd sobs back, wrenching his arm back, "I want to go _home!_ Ed and Eddy must be worried sick! You've traveled so far from that amusement park! They must be exhausting themselves in their efforts to find me! Oh…! And mother and father _must_ have noticed I'm gone by now! They'll be so upset! I left my home without cleaning up Ed's mess! Breaking the door down and littering my floors with his filthy belongings that we quickly abandoned anyway! And I'm _positive_ Ed left the front door standing _wide_ open! They'll be so annoyed with what I've done! If Ed, Eddy and I don't return home soon…"

He pauses, panting some as he comes down a bit from his outburst. He deflates a bit. Why should he tell Terry any of this? It's not like he would care about his problems. Raising his eyes to the man, Edd's surprised to find that he's not angry, as the boy had expected. Instead, Terry's looking at him thoughtfully, as though he's thinking about what Edd has told him.

After a moment, he speaks; "Sounds like your folks don't give a damn either way if all they do is get pissed at you for stupid shit like that."

Edd's taken aback by that statement; "Wh-What do you mean?"

"If your folks cared so much, you wouldn't be worrying about cleaning up after yourself when you run away from home." He glances at Edd. "You _did_ run away, right? I mean, why else would Pipsqueak have brought you and Cheese-boy to me?"

Edd bows his head, nodding in admission.

"Figured as much." Terry scoffs before looking Edd over carefully, "Ya know, I'm willing to bet that Pipsqueak ain't coming for you either."

That strikes a nerve. Edd whips his attention back to Terry's face and glares at him.

"What are you implying?!" he demands.

"I taught Pipsqueak everything I know," Terry explains in a standoffish tone, "That little shit should know better by now than to care too much about his lackeys. Why should he come for you?"

The boy starts to see red.

"You take that _back!_" he demands, lunging for him, "Ed and Eddy are my best friends! They would never abandon me like that!"

Terry shoots him a knowing look and grabs his arms, effortlessly holding the boy at bay as Edd tries to strike him.

"Oh?" he sneers, "So there's never been any time when you thought Pipsqueak was just using you or something?"

Edd shuts his eyes tight, trying to stop his angry tears; "Stop it! You were _never_ there for Eddy when he was growing up! You don't know what he's like!"

Terry chortles; "Denial looks good on you, Princess. But it's about time you faced facts. He ain't comin' for you. Your parents ain't comin' for you — if they even know or _care_ that you're gone." He grins as Edd's thrashings cease. "Nobody's gonna miss a little thing like you."

The boy's shoulders shake with his silent sobs as he keeps his head bowed. Tilting Edd's chin up, Terry makes the boy look at him. Edd's eyes are red and tears are evident on his face as he gives the man a weary look. He doesn't fight back as Terry urges him closer.

"Face it, sweetheart…" he coos, leaning in carefully, "You're already mine."

Edd's eyes are unfocused as the man closes the distance between them. A strangled cry is muffled by the man's lips as they're pressed almost gently against his own. He tries to pull away, but is held in place as Terry's hands come up to grip the back of the boy's head and his shoulder. The boy whimpers softly as Terry's hand presses against the bump on the back of his head. The pain is abolished from his thoughts, though, as the man's tongue forces its way past Edd's soft lips, mingling with the boy's. A strong taste of alcohol accosts Edd's tongue, making him whimper in disgust. Terry uses his tongue to explore Edd's mouth, stroking the sensitive gums between the gap in the boy's front teeth. A violent shudder wracks Edd's body at the sensation.

The man pushes Edd down onto the couch, moaning into the soft lips. The boy's small hands find purchase on Terry's broad shoulders and weakly push against them. It does no good. The boy is far too week to shove the man away. Terry's hands begin to wander. One remains at Edd's neck, rubbing little circles into the boy's nape, while the other travels down, tantalizingly tracing the boy's side before reaching Edd's thigh.

The hand on Edd's leg resumes its massaging motions from earlier as Terry moves from Edd's lips to kiss and suckle along the boy's jaw, making a trail down along Edd's neck. The boy starts to squirm some and, with his mouth free, he begins to make little whimpers. His eyes are shut tight as he tries to calm himself long enough to think of some way out of this.

No good. The man's hands and lips are too much for him to ignore. He tries to think of Eddy again. That had been enough to calm him before, perhaps it would help now? Biting his lip, he tries to picture Eddy with him instead. Again, the man's actions cloud his mind and he does indeed imagine his dear friend, but it's another case of transference. Edd pictures Eddy, in place of his brother, leaving these open-mouthed kisses along his neck and shoulders. Eddy's tongue lapping at his flesh. Eddy's hands massaging his neck and thigh.

It's not long before Edd's whimpering becomes laced with soft moans. The warmth he'd felt earlier starts to come back. Glancing at Edd's face, Terry decides to put more fervor into his treatments of his neck and shoulder, eager to hear more of those sweet little sounds coming from the boy's lips. Moaning softly, Edd arches up into Terry's lips. The pleasure is unlike anything he'd experienced before.

He wants more…

The hand on his thigh moves up, pushing the cloth of the over shirt up with it. Edd feels those sinful fingers trailing between his thighs. He flinches some, but is too lost in his own pleasure to care too much. Terry's lips and breath upon his neck are intoxicating. He sighs blissfully. His eyes open wide, however, when the man's hand moves higher, cupping between his legs. He looks up at Terry shyly, opening his mouth to speak. He's silenced with another deep kiss, drawing a lilting moan from his throat. It doesn't last as long as the others as the man pulls back again to nibble along the boy's jaw.

"Easy, sweetheart," Terry purrs, gently stroking him.

Edd's moans grow louder as he arches into that hand and his eyes flutter shut again. In his mind's eye, he sees a glimpse of the parental sticky note that had been placed on the wall of his bathroom. He shudders to think of what his parents would say if they were to discover his actions in this moment. Giving in to his biological urges and allowing this man, who had abducted and abused him, to touch him in ways he had yet to touch himself.

His body reacts of its own accord. He can feel his toes curling as a pressure builds in his abdomen. Edd's hands are grasping weakly at the the man's shoulders. It feels as though his body is burning from the inside out. He can find no relief as the pressure and heat continues to built. Eddy's face is still fresh in his mind. He sees his friend grinning at him. Hot breath moves from his neck to his cheek.

"You like that, Girlfriend…?" he hears Terry breathe, kissing and licking along the shell of his ear.

Edd can only moan in response. His mind is clouded by pleasure. He forgets where he is, who he's with.

"E-Eddy…" he moans, digging his nails into the man's shoulders in a desperate attempt to ground himself.

There's a pause in the gentle caresses. Edd blinks his eyes open, confused, and glances up at the man above him. Why had he stopped? He shrinks in on himself some as he sees that Terry is giving him an angry look. The boy gulps fearfully as Terry grabs his chin and holds the his head still. He leans in close.

"Listen carefully, Princess," he growls softly, "The only name I wanna hear outta you right now is _mine._ Got that?"

With shame burning on his face, Edd forces a nod. He wants so badly for the man to continue. He has no idea what he can do to make his arousal subside. As much as he hates to admit it, he needs Terry to help him. Unfortunately, his silence isn't what the man is looking for. Terry cocks his brow, watching the boy expectantly. Shutting his eyes tight, Edd forces his mouth to form the words.

"T-Terry…" he moans, "P-Please…"

The man does nothing for a moment, making the boy squirm impatiently. He feels Terry move over him and press himself against the boy's small form. Edd can feel every contour of the man's body, which makes him release a shuddering sigh. It feels heavenly to have another body against his own right now. He feels the man lean in to speak into his ear.

"Please 'what'?" he hisses, "Tell me what you want, Princess."

The tone and sinful nature of the question has Edd biting his lip. He arches into the man, hoping that the action would provide the answer so he would not be forced to speak it. No such luck. The man moves away again, drawing a whimper from the boy.

"N-No! Please!" Edd cries again.

"Please _what?_" Terry sneers at his own repeated phrase.

Edd can hear the smug tone of his voice. The man is thoroughly enjoying making the boy squirm like this. With a resolute sigh, Edd realizes the only way the man will grant him relief is to assuage him and tell him what he wants to hear.

"P-Please! I-I need…" he whimpers, "I need you…"

He doesn't need to open his eyes to know that the man is giving him a cruel, lustful smile. He can hear that in his voice as well when he speaks.

"And what do you need from me?" he breathes huskily.

Brow furrowed desperately, Edd blurts out a whimper; "T-Touch me…! Please!"

That sinister grin on the man's face grows as he leans over Edd again.

"And how do you want me to touch you?" he purrs.

A desperate sob escapes the boy. The man really _is_ just toying with him, now. He seems to catch onto just how flustered Edd is, though, and chuckles, raising his hand.

"How 'bout you show me, sweetheart?" he suggests haughtily.

Edd opens his eyes and looks to the offered appendage, Raising his shaky hands, he grasps it weakly. He averts his gaze as Terry watches him. Overcome with shyness, Edd lowers the man's hand to his chest first. Terry chuckles again and begins massaging near the boy's collar bone.

"Here?" he asks mockingly.

Keeping his hand on Terry's, Edd shuts his eyes tight.

"L-Lower…" he whimpers, trying to push the man's hand down.

Even with the barrier of the over shirt, the man's touch is exquisite. His skin is unbearably warm and extra sensitive to touch. The fabric isn't a problem for much longer, though. Terry unbuttons the shirt, doing so at an agonizingly slow pace. Moments later, the man pushes the shirt open, his fingers brushing against the heated flesh. He gasps sharply as Terry's fingers graze his nipples and arches into the touch. The man brings his free hand up to play with Edd's chest to allow the boy to continue pushing his other hand down his small, quivering body.

Edd lays his head back, panting and moaning heavily. His neck is exposed. Terry can't help himself as he leans down, licking and suckling along the sweet, tempting flesh. Small hands abandoning Terry's, Edd wraps his arms around the man's neck, pulling him closer. He feels the man chuckle softly against his neck.

"You know I can't get enough of those noises you're makin', Princess," he breathes.

Edd groans. The hand the boy had been urging the man to move lower has ceased its movements. Terry has rested his hand near the boy's waist, using the other to continue massaging the boy's small chest. To the man's credit, he's giving Edd's hip a similar treatment, gently, but firmly rubbing the soft, plush skin there in little circles. Edd bucks against that hand. His hips grind up against Terry's and he releases a relieved moan as he feels the man's clothed arousal against his own. The friction it creates is intoxicating. He raises his hips again in a frantic need for similar results.

"P-Please!" he whines, desperate for more of that delicious friction.

Terry nips at Edd's ear; "Tell me what you want, sweetheart."

Another groan escapes the boy.

"You know _very well_ what I want!" he cries impatiently through his panting breath, "I implore you! Touch me like you did before! I can't endure much more of this! Please!"

Terry laughs low in his throat; "So demanding…But alright, if you insist." He leans his forehead against Edd's, grinning darkly. "Spread your legs a little wider for me, Princess." He brings his hand from Edd's chest to cup the back of his neck. "And I'll make you feel _real_ good."

Edd follows the command without hesitation. Shame is gone for him now. He's abandoned any shred of modesty in his aching need for relief. All he can focus on is the unyielding pleasure Terry is giving him. The man's hand moves from his hip. Edd whimpers delightfully as that hand wraps around his throbbing arousal. He arches up into the man, groaning at the touch. Terry urges the boy to crane his neck a bit, leaning in to kiss him deeply. The boy moans wantonly against the man's lips as Terry's stroking increases in speed and intensity.

With the influx of overwhelming stimuli accosting him, it doesn't take long for Edd to reach that glorious peak. The pressure in his abdomen is almost unbearable as he writhes and bucks against Terry's hand. He breaks away from the kiss to release moan after moan and sharp cry after cry. Terry hovers over him, watching in twisted pleasure as the boy comes undone at his touch. Lips parted to release those lusty sounds. Chest heaving with panting breath he can barely get enough of. Eyes shut blissfully against the blinding pleasure. Skin flushed a light pink and so very, very warm to the touch.

It really is a sight to see.

He leans down close to Edd's ear. The boy's so close to that sweet release. It shouldn't take much more to push him over the edge.

"Cum for me, my little Princess," he purrs.

Arching his back, Edd lets out a long, strangled cry. He sees stars behind his closed eyelids as his body is wracked by his release. Clinging to Terry, he attempts to ride out his orgasm. The man watches him, a devious grin tugging at his lips. As the boy slowly comes down from his high, Terry moves away from him, examining the ejaculate in his hand. There's not much. He assumes Edd's age may explain that. With a wicked smile, and because he has no tissues at hand, he licks it away. He snickers some when he glimpses Edd watching him in horror. The boy is unable to move just yet. His body is in a sate of paralyzing relaxation, therefore his limbs are slow to respond for several moments. Terry leans over him, gripping Edd's chin between his thumb and index finger.

"Did you enjoy that, Girlfriend?" he asks knowingly.

Shamefully, Edd shuts his eyes tight. How mortifying! Weakly, he drags his hands up to his blushing face, trying to hide. He can't believe he allowed this to transpire! The shirt is still lying open, exposing him. His body is weak from the overwhelming pleasure and he's panting as though he'd run a marathon. Panic starts to set in. His parents' disapproving looks flash in his mind. What would they say of him? And Ed and Eddy! Edd grasps at his hair, tugging the black locks in distress. He would never be able to look either of them in the eye again. The shame is too much. He lets his hands fall to his chest. Perhaps the man would leave him be for a while. He wants to curl up and sleep to escape this nightmare. Exhaustion is taking him. He's so very close to drifting off.

"Don't get too comfortable," he hears Terry chortle.

Fate is never kind to him…Edd feels a sense of dread fill his chest as he weakly opens his eyes to look up at the man. The grin Terry is giving him makes his skin crawl. The man grabs his wrist and pulls the boy upright. That smile turns far more sinister.

"We're not done yet."

* * *

DuoXKouga: The triggers continue into the next chapter. Just a small warning before the next chapter, if the triggers make you uncomfortable or upset, please do not read Chapter 8! Please! Other than that, RATE AND REVIEW! THANK YOU!


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